If I was to take a walk behind my house, find a nice looking dead branch on the ground, or on a tree, and soak it, does it become driftwood? Has anyone done this? Would there be a reason NOT to stick a regular old branch or root or stump into a tank, assuming you presoak, clean, and get rid of most of the tannins before adding it to a tank?
Putting NON-driftwood in a tank
- Thread starter geekpryde
- Start date
tannins don't hurt your tank....
if i remember correctly some types of wood are okay and they won't rot under water. oak maybe? some types of hardwood.
if i remember correctly some types of wood are okay and they won't rot under water. oak maybe? some types of hardwood.
all wood will decay under water.
there are a number of factors that will determine the rate of decay.
some woods are more resistant to rotting.
in O2 deprived water wood may remain intact for 100's of years.
many of the hardwoods are more resistant to rotting.. same can be said of 'soft' wood
but pretty much all wood when properly treated will be safe for the tank.
you just need to keep an eye on rate of decay..
there are a number of factors that will determine the rate of decay.
some woods are more resistant to rotting.
in O2 deprived water wood may remain intact for 100's of years.
many of the hardwoods are more resistant to rotting.. same can be said of 'soft' wood
but pretty much all wood when properly treated will be safe for the tank.
you just need to keep an eye on rate of decay..
I'd say stay away from trees that produce sap of any sort. As long as you scrape the bark off and the wood is not soft or decaying, it should be fine. I have put branches from random trees into my tanks with no issues.
Thanks for the replies, I feel better now about saving some time and money and getting exactly what I want by hunting around in the woods with my kids. Thanks!
Soak that wood with a bubblier in a buck for a while first. I have gotten various wood pieces from the woods and cleaned them this way. I found that some will create a gelatin goo around them and just destroy your tank. Even a pet store piece has done that in a guppy tank. I didn't pre-soak....opps.
a little clarification
softwood when properly treated is FINE in an aquarium.. cedar, cypress etc and are excellent as driftwood in aquariums are softwoods
even sap will become harmless when soaked as this will dissipate/dilute the effect of the sap.
I would not hesitate to use pine or cedar that had been sitting in a creek or river
all trees produce some sort of 'sap'
did you know tannins is the defense mechanism of trees(mostly hardwoods) to fend of insects and fungus?
softwood when properly treated is FINE in an aquarium.. cedar, cypress etc and are excellent as driftwood in aquariums are softwoods
even sap will become harmless when soaked as this will dissipate/dilute the effect of the sap.
I would not hesitate to use pine or cedar that had been sitting in a creek or river
all trees produce some sort of 'sap'
did you know tannins is the defense mechanism of trees(mostly hardwoods) to fend of insects and fungus?
Stay away from ANY live wood and branches from coniferious tree(evergreens: pines spruce, balsam, etc due to hidden pockets of sap and pitch) unless they have been DEAD and have had long term exposure to the eliments. Long term exposure comes in the form of driftwood, exposed root systems such as found in a toppled tree or fence row and dead branches that have air dried from a long time (no bark remaining). All wood still has to be presoaked and boiled. A presure washer can be used to take off any remaining bark or minor dry rot (be care no to set the pressure to high). Cedar and like spieces are the exception to the carnifurious rule. I found my best pieces in wet areas with topled cedars. The air dried exposed roots are perfect.
The problem with softwoods is they decompose faster than hard woods, not to mention their low density makes them harder to sink. They will also leach tannins and pitch longer than hardwoods, even after proper boiling and bleach bath. Google it.