Driftwood

[SteveJP]

I hope this isnt a repost; I couldn't find anything on it. I don't have any drift wood available to me, seeing as I don't have any good rivers/streams close by. Could I just use branches from my tree (prepped the same way as drift wood from a stream) for my tank? Any info would be great. Oh, and idk if it matters, but I have a sycamore tree that I would be using branches from. Thanks

 

[Samzter]

I'm not sure that's a good idea. Sme trees contain sap or other chemicals which are harmful to fishes. Also the wood can rot quickly. Once again I'm not sure if that applies to sycamore trees.

 

[Icd1227]

I would advise against it because you never know what's in the wood. I put a piece of drift wood that a friend of mine swore would be safe for my fish, it killed 5 panda corydoras. Id say don't take a chance

 

[Candiceg]

I buy the wood in reptile section of pet store. They are bigger and better for some reason.

 

[phishfriend]

Hey, here is a site to look at.

Manzanita Branches from Blooms and Branches 10" to 7 ft

you can buy Manzanita for half the cost of aquarium supplier

 

[SteveJP]

I never thought of that. I'll see if my lfs has any. I didn't know if I could just bake the wood at 400*f for 20-30 min, if that would just make it safe or not. The wood would (haha) be for my plecos. I was told that they should have drift wood in the tank for them to eat/live/hide in. If I'm wrong, please correct me. I don't exactly know what's the best environment/lifestyle for bristle nose plecos, so I'm kind of making it up as I go.

 

[Candiceg]

Yes they love driftwood. Check out mopani driftwood my favorite

 

[Rivercats]

Actually Pleco's need DW to rasp on as they need the cellulite to aid in their digestion.

 

[TOMatt]

I agree with checking your LFS. I just picked up a perfect 11lb piece for my new 50 gallon last night.
Both local shops near me have their driftwood hidden in corners and not always easily found. They both had good stock, it just wasn't obvious.

 

[FeldmansFish]

My BNP loves mopani driftwood. I'm not really sure about the baking idea because you'd still probably have to rinse it. Same results as boiling it, different time frame.

 

[SteveJP]

I found some wood from a place down the street. It's for reptiles, but they said it was good for fish tanks...I'm still going to rinse it and stuff before introducing it into my tank. it's the hallowed out hiding places that snakes and lizards live in. (I know it's off topic) my wife bought me a beta for an early Christmas present! Anyways, is there anything else besides algae and driftwood that the BNP's need in their diet?

 

[SteveJP]

When make dinner, I usually cut up cucumbers, celery, or lettuce and throw a piece or two of it in there for them. Is that okay as well? If so how often/much should I do it? Their main diet is algae waffers, algae in the tank and brine shrimp pellets (those are mainly for the Cory cats, but they gobble those up too).

 

[phishfriend]

I found some wood from a place down the street. It's for reptiles, but they said it was good for fish tanks...I'm still going to rinse it and stuff before introducing it into my tank. it's the hallowed out hiding places that snakes and lizards live in. (I know it's off topic) my wife bought me a beta for an early Christmas present! Anyways, is there anything else besides algae and driftwood that the BNP's need in their diet?

Does it look semilar to this in me tank pic?




If it does its grapevine. You need to boil it to get tannis out. Drain and boil again. Also after its in you tank for a day or so it will start to get a white fuss on it. It's not harmful to your fish and should go away in time. You can also rub it off when cleaning the tank.

 

[SteveJP]

Does it look semilar to this in me tank pic?

If it does its grapevine. You need to boil it to get tannis out. Drain and boil again. Also after its in you tank for a day or so it will start to get a white fuss on it. It's not harmful to your fish and should go away in time. You can also rub it off when cleaning the tank.

Yes. Just not as big (about half the size in length). How do you boil something that big?

 

[Candiceg]

Love that piece of wood

 

[phishfriend]

Thanks! I got that for 24 bucks from that website Linked earlier in the thread. And to boil it... Do you have a turkey fryer by change.

 

[SteveJP]

No. I know some people who do, but I think they would look at me weird if I told them I was boiling wood. I'll see what I can com up with

 

[Bearchumjs]

If you can't put it in a pot to boil, you could put it in your sink or bathtub and pour boiling water to cover it, let it sit a while, drain water, then repeat the process a few more times.

 

[Zimmanski]

Okay so here is my thought on this and please if im wrong someone correct me. Everything I've read says that wood from outside is perfectly fine if its hardwood, now I don't know if sycamore is a hardwood or not but I'm sure that's easy to look up. Also wood you find in streams and lakes are already dried or dead then they sit in the water before we get them. I've wanted to recreate a fake stump I have with real wood and here is my plan. Find a hardwood trunk and cut it to size, then hollow it out and bake it to kill it or dry it out, then boil and soak it for a couple days so that it leaches and stops being buoyant. Same process at the natural way, just done in my kitchen, which is what you're wanting to do with a branch. Like I said if I'm wrong correct me, but I think it would work.

 

[SteveJP]

If you can't put it in a pot to boil, you could put it in your sink or bathtub and pour boiling water to cover it, let it sit a while, drain water, then repeat the process a few more times.

I thought about that, but I didn't know if that would work. How do I know when the wood is safe to introduce to the tank?