IceCap Pine Root

Instructions:

1. Unbox your unique piece of Small Pine Root wood. Use a clean, stiff-bristled brush to thoroughly scrub all exterior crevices under running tap water to remove any loose dust or debris from transit. Warning: Never use soaps, bleach, or chemical household detergents on hardscape wood.
2. The Waterlogging Phase: Pine Root is a highly porous wood that contains hidden air pockets and natural organic tannins. If added directly to an aquarium dry, it will float and leach these tannins, turning your water a dark, tea-colored amber tint.
3. To anchor the wood and eliminate discoloration, submerge the piece inside a clean utility bucket filled with fresh water. Change the water daily for 5 to 7 days, or boil the root in a large pot for 1 to 2 hours to break up air pockets and accelerate waterlogging.
4. If the wood still shows slight buoyancy after soaking, use clean slate weights or tie it down to an anchoring stone before setting it into your final layout.
5. Place the root carefully into your tank layout. Push the heavier base of the piece firmly down into your sand or gravel substrate to secure its position before adding delicate plants.
6. If a harmless, translucent white biofilm slime develops on the wood face during the first two weeks, do not panic. This is a normal reaction as beneficial micro-bacteria consume remaining sugars in the wood. It can be easily scrubbed away or left for shrimp and snails to eat.

Pro Tips:

• Run a High-Grade Carbon Media Bag to Keep Water Crystal Clear. Even after extensive boiling and soaking, a piece of porous wood like the IC-WPRS will continue to release trace amounts of tannins for several months. While these tannins are completely non-toxic and mimic natural river habitats, you can easily neutralize the yellow water tint. Drop a high-quality chemical filtration media bag—such as activated carbon or a specialized synthetic adsorption resin—into your filter to capture the discoloration instantly.
• Glue Epiphyte Roots Directly to Crevices with Cyanoacrylate Gel. Because Pine Root wood features numerous rough grooves, it is the perfect anchor for long-term epiphyte plant growth. Do not try to bury the roots of plants like Anubias, Bucephalandra, or Java Ferns in your substrate, as their rhizomes will rot. Instead, place a tiny dot of gel-based cyanoacrylate glue (aquarium-safe super glue) directly onto the rhizome and press it against a natural groove in the Pine Root wood for 15 seconds. The plant will naturally wrap its anchor roots around the wood grain within weeks.
• Level Your Aquascape by Slipping Flat Supporting Stones Beneath Key Pressure Points. Even an 8-to-12-inch piece of Pine Root wood can carry targeted physical weight in a small glass tank depending on its knot thickness. When building a dramatic, sloped aquascape, never rest a heavy, jagged edge of the hardwood directly against the bare bottom glass panel of your aquarium. Place a thin, flat cushion stone (like a piece of slate or a smooth river pebble) underneath the main structural pressure points to distribute the weight evenly and protect your glass panel from targeted stress fractures.