anyone have experience with dried willow in the home aquarium ?? i seen some really nice pieces i could make nice moss bushes or trees out of at a local florsit....but wanna make sure that it would be safe to add to my tank ?? any one familiar with this type of wood ?
Dried Willow Branches
- Thread starter Curtis301
- Start date
Willow tree leaves actually produce a toxin that is lethal to koi. One of the reasons they should not be planted near koi ponds.
Not sure if the same toxin is found in the branches or if it is lethal to other species of fish. I would probably avoid it.
Not sure if the same toxin is found in the branches or if it is lethal to other species of fish. I would probably avoid it.
Using the thin branched Manzanita wood has become pretty popular lately. But you could also use just about any hardwood branches you want really. Oaks and maples work fine.
Most of my tanks have branches and logs cut from a dogwood tree I felled in my front yard.
Andy
Most of my tanks have branches and logs cut from a dogwood tree I felled in my front yard.
Andy
Im not good with identifyibg trees either but i did manage to cut my own piece of driftwood over a year ago and its still being used in a tank with no ill effects. Just got lucky i guess. As Andy suggested, manzanita is a very nice wood and the branches can make a very beautiful aquascape.
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Willow contains salicylic acid, from which aspirin is derived. I don't know if koi might be allergic to aspirin or something, but willow branches are used in shrimp tanks sometimes for alleged antibacterial properties (not sure exactly how effective they are, but the point is that it's certainly not toxic to shrimp). Plenty of people also culture live willow branches in tanks (branch cuttings will root, and act as a fairly effective nitrate buster), at least until they branch outgrows the tank (after which it's sometimes planted outside and a new cutting is taken to repeat the process).
The other downside to willow, however, is that it's a very soft wood, and will rot pretty quickly in your tank. Not really what I'd pick for aquascaping purposes—as others have suggested, manzanita or various hardwoods make for better branches.
The other downside to willow, however, is that it's a very soft wood, and will rot pretty quickly in your tank. Not really what I'd pick for aquascaping purposes—as others have suggested, manzanita or various hardwoods make for better branches.
