Curing Red Cedar Driftwood

[somecallmedaniel16]

Hello all!

I found some old piece of red cedar wood in my yard today. I decided to cure it, in case I wanted to use it as driftwood for my tank sometime in the future. I boiled the wood for and hour and will probably be soaking it in fresh water for another week, to get the tannins out. I have read online, though, that red cedar wood releases oils and can kill fish. Is this true? Does anyone have experience with this species of wood used as driftwood? I can't seem to find anything online.

[Sicklid]

Red cedar wood is used specifically in the woodcraft industry for decking and such because of it's natural resistance to pests... Meaning it kills things that eat it. Also it is used as a pet bedding product because it repels bugs. The fumes from this material can kill many animals that inhale the dust from the shavings into their respiratory systems.

While these facts are proven, I have no knowledge of what it will do submersed in water but I would never chance it...

When I was a kid, I unwittingly put a Garter snake in a cage with cedar shavings, and the snake was by the next morning. YMMV...

[HN1]

Cedar Driftwood?

I researched this a bit recently.

[yohann976]

I have a huge piece of red cedar in my discus tank for a few years now and it has never adversely affected my fish. I will say this, the piece of driftwood was originally retrieved from a lake, so any harmful oils probably leaked out before it went into my tank. I think that it's a great piece of driftwood because of it's beautiful red color and the fact that it really hasn't decayed much at all.

In all honesty, I wouldn't chance it unless you are sure that all of the oil was out.

[somecallmedaniel16]

Originally Posted by HN1

Cedar Driftwood?

I researched this a bit recently.

I am not planning on putting the wood in my tank until I am sure it is clean of resins and oils, etc. I have placed the wood in a sink of water and it has been there for 2 days without coloring the water. The wood still has a faint aroma to it. If even after I've boiled the wood and soaked it for a long time until it does not discolor the water, will the wood still release oils or other materials that can be harmful to fish?

[JustOneMore20]

If it smells like cedar, I wouldn't use it......probably still has the oils in it. I had a piece of cedar in one of my tanks for over a year....but it didn't have that cedar aroma and had been dried out beforehand.

[somecallmedaniel16]

Right. I doubt I'll be able to use it anytime soon, if ever. Still, if I am convinced it is completely cured, I will consider it. I mean, it's free.