IceCap Dragon Root

1. Unbox your IC-WDRS branch carefully. Give the piece a thorough visual inspection to choose your favorite display orientation and angles before prep work.
2. Place the branch into a clean utility tub or sink and scrub all surfaces down with a stiff-bristled brush using hot tap water to remove loose dust, soil, or transit grit. Warning: Never clean using household soaps or chemical detergents.
3. Submerge the wood completely in clean fresh water for several days to allow the dry fibers to fully saturate. Pro Tip: Because dry wood is buoyant, weigh it down with clean stones or heavy slate blocks until it stops floating and sinks naturally.
4. Change out the soaking water every 48 hours during the pre-soak stage to safely bleed off the initial heavy flush of dark organic tannins before the piece goes into your display tank.
5. Once fully waterlogged, carefully position the Dragon Root into your empty aquarium, checking that no branches lean directly against the glass panels where they could trap fish or scratch the pane.
6. Anchor the base securely with your chosen substrate or heavy accent rocks, fill the tank with water slowly using a diffuser plate, and turn on your filtration system to clear out any residual wood particles.

Pro Tips:

• Secure the Wood Matrix with Heavy Rocks or Stainless Steel Screws During Setup. Because dry Dragon Root wood holds a large amount of trapped air inside its core fibers, it can take several weeks to sink entirely on its own. If you want to skip a long pre-soak, use clear zip-ties or stainless steel screws to attach the lowest base roots directly to a heavy slab of slate or egg-crate plastic grid before putting it into the tank. Burying that heavy base plate underneath your sand and anchoring it down with accent rocks will keep the entire wood structure perfectly locked in place from day one.
• Do Not Panic Over the Initial White Bio-Film Outbreak—It is Harmless. Within the first two weeks of submerging fresh Dragon Root wood in a newly established aquarium, a thick, jelly-like white slime or fuzzy fungus layer will typically grow across the bark. Don't worry, this is completely normal! This occurs because harmless, natural airborne bacteria are consuming the leftover sugars and starches locked deep within the raw wood fibers. This slime layer is completely safe and makes an excellent snack for fish like Mollies, Otocinclus Catfish, and Neocaridina shrimp, who will pick the wood completely clean within a week.
• Keep an Active Stash of Chemical Filter Media on Hand to Control Tannins. All high-end natural woods contain organic compounds called tannins that will slowly bleed out into your aquarium water, tinting it a warm, tea-colored amber. While these tannins are fantastic for lowering your pH and boosting fish immune systems, you can easily control the tint if you prefer a crystal-clear look. Simply place a bag of high-performance activated carbon or Seachem Purigen directly inside a high-flow chamber of your filter to pull the coloration out of the water instantly.