Grapevine Driftwood ???

[mar52]

I was in a Petsmart store this afternoon and was looking for that 'perfect' piece of driftwood for my tank when I came upon a few pieces of grapevine driftwood. It said on the tag that it could be used with aquariums, but I have never heard of this type of wood being used for that purpose; does anyone know if this is an acceptable material to use in a freshwater tank? I know it should not be any softwood species, but I am just unsure about it. It has been sandblasted and I understand that it still needs to undergo a thorough cleaning and sterilization; just don't want to put something in a tank that could turn out to be harmful. If anyone has had any experience with this, or has any info, I'd be happy to hear from you. Thanks,
Mike

 

[Emg]

Grape wood isn't generally good for wet environments...it molds

 

[kveeti]

There’s this reference to it at www.skepticalaquarist.com, under Aquascaping, then Wood, Roots, Leaves:

Grapevine stumps. If you live in grape-growing country, McDaphnia suggests using the twisted and knotted stumps of pulled grapevines. What a resource, eh! Make sure that the stumps have been weathered in sun and rain for a year or so. An old wisteria root would do too. The toxins are in greenwood and sap, remember, not in the universal cellulose and lignin.

 

[unfamous]

well my experiences with it is good. it will not sink as soon as you put it in, you will need to waterlog it. this is easy it just takes a while. put the wood in a bucket and with boiling water and put something heay on top of it and let it sit for a couple of weeks, may be a month would be better just make shur it is waterlogged.

 

[pzuzu]

I used some grape driftwood that I purchased from pet smart and let it soak for a few days. It said, however, that it was for reptile tanks and not fish aquariums, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Within hours my tank grew incredibly milky. It looked like steam inside the water. I took the wood out and threw it away. It was the Mac's grape driftwood for reptiles. I don't recommend it, but I'm also a newbie... I come here looking for advise, not give it. But this just sounded way too familiar. And as I said, I only let it soaked in water for a few days, as opposed to a month or two. I also let it soak with dechlorinated water.

From my research, the best bet is Malaysian driftwood or African bogwood. I have yet to attain any because it is so hard to find, but you can find some at www.drsfosterandsmith.com. They sell in three different sizes. I will be ordering a piece of each soon. Plus it's the only place I have been able to find it for sale. Also, check out the article on their website about driftwood, as it is very educational.

Hope this helps.