Can driftwood I bought from the pet store cause an ammonia spike?

Question

I just bought some sweet driftwood from the pet store. Is it common to change the color of the water, and most importantly cause an ammonia spike?

Answer 1

It's normal for wood to colour your tank a bit brown. It's tannin leaching from the wood, a bit like brewing tea. It's harmless and will reduce with time and water changes.

Look for something else causing the ammonia spike. Dead fish, uneaten food, new filter pads are likely causes.

Either way some extra partial water changes will help both problems.

Ian

Answer 2

Driftwood/Bogwood will leech harmless tannins into the water, which is why its a good idea to soak it in hot water for a week or two prior to adding it to the tank.

Never had bogwood cause an ammonia spike in my tank, if your tank is established, wood is unlikely to be the cause of problems. Unless it was washed in detergent or similar before addition? Chemicals like that would kill off the good bacteria, without that bacteria the tank will be prone to ammonia spikes.

Answer 3

To The Point Of Your Question:

......tannins that leech from the wood will lower the ph of the water

....as ph drops to 6.5 and lower, ammonia gas rapidly converts from NH3 to the harmless NH4 nitrate

....the tannins otherwise will not have any other effect on the ammonia or other nitrogenous elements of the tank water

Food For Thought:

....spiking may be caused if new filter cartridges were added and nitrifying bacteria were lost by removing the old media

....if tannins make darker water, some tank owners will change their filter cartridges and also wash out the good bacteria from the foam pads in an attempt to help clear the water via the filter media.....in washing the foam pads, the bacteria is lost....and the tank must recycle.....allowing new bacteria to bloom once NH3 levels rise, prompting bacterial growth in the presence of a new food source

...in as much that in the symbiosis of the tank rising NH3 levels promotes bacteria that eats ammonia, we may also use live plants that prefer NH3 or NH4 as their food of choice

...the liveplants provide a buffer within the tank world which soften the effects of ammonia spikes that occur from decayed food, fish p**p, dead carcasses, and irregular water changes