Cedar Driftwood

[MissMinerva]

I have gotten conflicting advise on whether or not cedar is suitable for a freshwater aquarium. I did just read the article here and it mentioned that cedar does makes good driftwood.

I had gotten a very nice piece a while ago. It had been used as an outdoor decoration for years. It was beautifully sun-bleached. At the time I didn't know what type of wood it was and when I cut some off to fit my aquarium I realized it was cedar. The cedar aroma from cutting it was extremely pungent!

Now, is this really safe for my tank? Is there some prepping I should do? Right now I just have it sitting outside. But, I would really like to use it.

I would really appreciate some input on this! Thanks!!

Jan

 

[rubysoho]

I've been warned not to, but I can't remember the exact reason why. Hopefully whoever it was that answered my question earlier will chime up soon.

 

[TankGirl]

There are resins in evergreen wood that, AFAIK, are not good for fish. I do not know exactly why, nor do I have science behind this. I know that pine trees fall into rivers and lakes and don't kill off massive numbers of fish, but I am sure it has an impact, and we have closed systems.

Resin is sticky and crystalline when dry, so I don't want this stubstance in my tank or filter.

 

[MissMinerva]

That's what I always thought. But, you see people selling it all the time for aquariums. And the article on this site by Scott68TN states "Cedar is a good choice due to its natural ability to withstand water."

Hence, my confusion! :?

 

[Canuckfan]

There's plenty of cedar up here in the Pacific Northwest , & as far as I know , it is a bit poisonous for humans . So I'm guessing that it wouldn't be a great idea to put it in your tank .

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Cedar has some type of oils (or perhaps it's the resin Tankgirl mentioned- I can't remember) that's not good for aquariums. If the wood had gone completely "dead", I wouldn't worry about it, but the fact that you can still smell the cedar wood when you cut it would concern me...

 

[_dan_]

i was also thinking of putting dift wood in my tank and i was wondering, what would the best wood be for this?

 

[TankGirl]

My favorite wood for tanks is swahala wood. It has a lovely curly, knotty appearance and one side is dark, while the other is light. It is very dense and sinks immediately. The pieces I have used were too big to boil the tanins out with, but soaking gets the majority out in about a week.

Any hardwood will work, though.

 

[MissMinerva]

Thanks for all the info, folks! I'll give up on hoping to use that piece of cedar!

 

[kenor33]

I use 2 big pieces of malaysia wood and love the way it looks,sinks, is really dark and sinks immediately but I would like to see this swahala wood Tankgirl mentions

 

[glasstapper]

several vets have told me that cedar was a poor choice for small animals as far as bedding because of the resin aroma bad for thier lungs, and my gunea pig did develop some type of respitory infection while i used cedar, pine was much better and recommended by 2 out of 5 piggy doctors

 

[grimlock3000]

glasstaper is right, dwarf hamster are another example, if they have cedar bedding, they have respitory problems and can die.

 

[TankGirl]

Here's a pic from the Feller website:

 

[kenor33]

Thanks, I like it

 

[_dan_]

what kind of wood is that tankgirl?

 

[TankGirl]

Swahala wood - sinks like a stone and does not take too much effort to leach the tannins if you don't want 'em.

 

[Hara]

Cedar shavings keep fleas and other insects away, Cedar closets and hope chests are used to keep moths out....the oils can be very irritating to life in general. That being the case, I would think the rule to follow would be "better safe than sorry".

 

[MrDaytona]

My experience in avoiding cedar in an aquarium is that most will leach it's color into the tank giving your water a light brown appearance. I had a particularly nice piece of cedar that I soaked in boiling water with constant water changes over a 6 month period and it still leached the brown stain, until I finally gave up.

While the staining will not kill the fish, it is the appearance of the tank that you must decide if you like it or not. To see just what you tank's water will be like - go to a fresh water stream that has plenty of cedar trees in it and take a water sample.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

The tannins aren't really the issue as far as the cedar goes: practically any piece of wood you place into your aquarium will leach some amount into the water. The oils found specifically in cedar are the main issue- and a good reason for not using it. Granted, I am referring to any piece of cedar that still has that "cedar" smell to it, whether it be out in the open or after you cut into it. I have seen some truly "dead" pieces of cedar make excellent display pieces in aquariums- but only after the owner cross-sectioned parts of it to see it any traces of smell (oils) were present.

 

[Xzap]

Cedar wood

That's what I always thought. But, you see people selling it all the time for aquariums. And the article on this site by Scott68TN states "Cedar is a good choice due to its natural ability to withstand water."

Hence, my confusion! :?

Hey ya'll, I'm new here.. love the site and I got here by researching this very subject, cedar.

I too have read the article by Scott68TN along with several conflicting articles. I have a huge piece of cedar I started soaking today for a new tank (30 day soak). This piece of wood is very old and "dead". My question is.. does anyone actually have cedar wood in their tank now ? If so, how do you treat it, etc ?
Thx,
Dave