blue spruce/norway spruce roots as decor, okay?

In my experience pine is a no go, but that is only because of the sap. I think you would be just fine if you boiled it first. Just my two cents!

:cheers:

I don't see anyone on aquaticplantcentral forum reporting that they have used that particular wood. Generally seeing sap in wood of conifers is not a good sign. I read anecdotal reports of most conifers being trouble to aquarium systems, with a few exceptions; western hemlock, bald cypress, Australian pine, Cypress and possibly cedar.

I would not try it in my main system without a test setup done with a piece that you see sap in. A couple varieties of small fish, and some ghost shrimp would give you some idea of the usability of the wood. Just be sure you give it some months to see the cumulative effects before you decide whether it is usable or not.

Ok that sounds slightly less ominous. You would still need to weigh how cool you think the wood is if you want to use it short term. I say that because being soft wood it would tend to decay faster than hardwood and cause issues that way. It wouldn't be the wood itself but the byproducts of decomposition that you would have to keep an eye out for.

The best stuff is either heartwood or more rot resistant hardwood. Manzanita is one option that has similarities to what you have, but you might have to pay for it if you don't have access to some.