i've heard good and bad about this. i have "grape wood" which is not grape vine, and it's big and knobby. i've been using it for a year with no ill effects. i got it from the lizard section of my petstore, already heat-treated (baked)
i can't remember the brand name.
yeah that was a helpful article... I forgot about the fungus that grows on the gravevine stuff.....I've seen it, and that alone makes me drop that idea..
absolutely not. grapewood, when submerged for long periods of time, will rot quicker than most woods (because it is not truly wood, but hardened vine), and it will ALWAYS grow an excessive amount of fungus that in large amounts, can be detrimental to both the fish and the bacteria cycle.
yes, it is sold as an aquarium safe wood, but you will see that it is more trouble than it is worth.
perhaps, and there is also the remote chance that it really isnt grapewood, and instead something that resembles it that may have been cheaper to manufacture.