Aquarium root, 20 to 25 or 40 to 45 cm
Regular price
9,80 €
Regular price
Sale price
9,80 €
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/
per
This submersible wood serves as a hiding place, a support for mosses and a framework for the decor, and is sold in two sizes.
It releases tannins into the water: the water takes on an amber tint and the pH drops slightly. Soaking it beforehand in a bucket removes some of them.
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The summary
- What you receive: a root of 20 to 25 cm or 40 to 45 cm, with a one-of-a-kind shape.
- What it does to the water: it releases tannins, which tint the water amber and lower the pH slightly.
- Before adding water: a soak of several days, longer for the large size.
- Why it floats: dry wood floats until it is waterlogged, so it needs weighing down in the meantime.
- What grows on it: mosses and epiphytic plants attach to it with thread or glue.
- Shipping: bulky parcel for the large size, can be combined with your order.
Submersible wood that tints the water amber, shelters fish and carries moss
Aquarium root, available in 20 to 25 cm or 40 to 45 cm, is a submersible wood that serves as a hiding place for fish, a base for mosses and the framework of a layout. It releases tannins that tint the water amber and slightly lower the pH. Soaking for several days, longer for the larger size, limits this effect and makes it sink.
A root changes two things in a tank. It gives the decor a framework and the fish areas of shade, and it alters the water: submerged wood releases tannins, which tint the water a light amber and lower the pH slightly, especially in soft water.
🫖 Tannins in the water
If you keep soft, slightly acidic freshwater species, these tannins do you a favour and you will want to keep them. If you are after perfectly clear water, soak the wood for several days in a bucket, changing the water as soon as it turns brown, until it stays clear. Catappa leaves have the same effect, faster and more reversibly.
In a fish tank connected to a grow bed, the wood releases its tannins in the same way, but nitrification is already acidifying the water: by converting ammonia into nitrate, the bacteria use up alkalinity, and the pH falls over the weeks. A root therefore adds a slight drop to an existing trend, which you can follow with a weekly reading of pH and KH. The guide to regulating the pH of an aquaponic system details the possible corrections.
⚓ How long it takes to sink
Dry wood floats until its fibres are saturated with water, and how long this takes depends on the density and thickness of the piece: allow several days for the small size, sometimes several weeks for the large one. Soaking in a bucket therefore does double duty, since it draws out some of the tannins while the wood becomes waterlogged. To speed it up, keep the root fully submerged under a slate slab rather than letting it float half out of the water.
If the piece is still floating when you put the decor together, secure it rather than waiting. Glued onto a flat stone that acts as a base and later disappears under the sand, it stays in place from the first day. If the tank is still empty, glue it with aquarium-safe silicone; if it already has water in it, an underwater adhesive fixes the piece without draining. Once the wood is waterlogged, it stays on the bottom without help.
Soak separately, then measure the pH
Provide a bucket with a lid for soaking, which is done separately from the tank, and a pH test to measure what the wood has actually changed. Two readings, one before placing it and one a week later, show you the effect of this particular piece on your water.
🌱 What settles on it
Wood is the usual support for mosses and epiphytic plants, which are tied on with cotton thread until the rhizoids and roots take hold. During the first few days, a whitish film often appears on the submerged parts: this is a temporary biofilm, which the fish and shrimp graze on and which disappears by itself. Bottom-dwelling fish readily take refuge under the piece, out of the light.
📏 Choosing the size
The small size, 20 to 25 cm, suits a tank with a 40 to 60 cm front, where it fills a corner or carries a tuft of moss. The large size, 40 to 45 cm, can structure an 80 cm tank or larger on its own, and it releases more tannins, since the surface of submerged wood is greater. The root weighs about 0.5 kg in the small size and 1 kg in the large size, so the parcel for the large model is more bulky than heavy.
Technical specifications
The essentials
- Sizes
- 20 to 25 or 40 to 45 cm
- Shape
- One of a kind, never reproducibleThe item delivered will not be the one in the photo.
What it does to the water
- Tannins
- Amber-coloured water, falling pHThe effect fades over the months and with water changes.
- Soaking
- Several days in clear waterChange the water in the bucket as soon as it turns brown.
What attaches to it
- Foams
- Attached to the cotton threadThe thread dissolves by itself once the rhizoids have attached.
- Epiphytic plants
- Rhizome resting on the woodA buried rhizome rots, so it always stays exposed.
To budget for separately
- Weight
- A slate slab during soaking
- Fixing
- Glue that sets underwater
In the box
- 1 root, size 20 to 25 or 40 to 45 cm depending on your choice
Pellet sizes recorded on 20/09/2026 from the batch in stock. The tannin mechanism and soaking times follow the practices published in the freshwater aquarium guides consulted on 20/09/2026.
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It is not a guaranteed delivery date: public holidays, peak periods, customs or a carrier delay can extend it. The exact amount, in your currency, is worked out in the cart once your address is entered.
The small size ships as a standard parcel. The large one is bulky without being heavy, and it travels protected. The exact cost is calculated at checkout according to your destination.
Frequently asked questions
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