Driftwood ID - Aquarium Advice

workfortheman · 09-09-2005, 07:57 PM

Hi all, just got back from Mexico last week and brought home some nice looking driftwood. Anyone seen this stuff or able to [acronym:72defa223c="Identify"]ID[/acronym:72defa223c] it? Is it safe for aquariums? I really hope so, because it's got sooooo many little cool holes in it!
[acronym:72defa223c="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:72defa223c]

workfortheman · 09-09-2005, 07:58 PM

[acronym:20bf954a78="By the way"]BTW[/acronym:20bf954a78], does anyone know if this stuff will sink? after a week of soaking it still floats. . .

Tiffi · 09-09-2005, 08:24 PM

If it doesn't sink, you can drill a hole in it and connect it to a flat piece of stone. That way it won't float up. Bury the stone inb the gravel and nobody will know

.

Tiffi · 09-09-2005, 08:27 PM

It will be save for the aquarium, just try to cook it out, to get the bacteria etc. off of it, that you don't want in your tank. It's some nice pieces. I know in Germany they call this kind of wood Mopani. Should be the same here.
I got it too in my tank.

Toirtis · 09-10-2005, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiffi

I know in Germany they call this kind of wood Mopani. Should be the same here.

Not at all....Mopani (Colophospernum mopane) is an African Hardwood, what is pictured by workforthe man is the 'skeleton' of a cholla cactus (several species of the Opuntia genus, probably Opuntia versicolor in this case)...it will eventually sink, but will decompose shortly thereafter, and much more quickly than hardwood.

Tiffi · 09-10-2005, 09:37 AM

I am very sorry! It looked pretty close to what I've got here. But the "holes" seem to be more

.

workfortheman · 09-12-2005, 10:32 AM

Thank you, Toirtis for the [acronym:0655bf4434="Identify"]ID[/acronym:0655bf4434]. I'm not suprised that it is cactus skeleton. Would you recommend for aquarium use? How fast would this decomposition occur?

Toirtis · 09-12-2005, 12:11 PM

Ptobably pretty quickly, once the skeleton was saturated and the tank bacteria got working on it. I have no actual timeline, as I have never observed it in an aquarium situation, but I have seen it break down within months in a humid reptile enclosure.

workfortheman · 09-12-2005, 02:00 PM

Crap. too bad it's not usable, that stuff is pretty sweet lookin'!

Toirtis · 09-12-2005, 05:55 PM

It is.....you could get a snake or some lizards to display it with...

09-09-2005, 07:58 PM	#2
workfortheman Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 484 Images: 1	[acronym:20bf954a78="By the way"]BTW[/acronym:20bf954a78], does anyone know if this stuff will sink? after a week of soaking it still floats. . . __________________ Ernie www.ErnestJohn.com

09-12-2005, 10:32 AM	#7
workfortheman Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 484 Images: 1	Thank you, Toirtis for the [acronym:0655bf4434="Identify"]ID[/acronym:0655bf4434]. I'm not suprised that it is cactus skeleton. Would you recommend for aquarium use? How fast would this decomposition occur? __________________ Ernie www.ErnestJohn.com

09-12-2005, 12:11 PM	#8
Toirtis Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 6,768	Ptobably pretty quickly, once the skeleton was saturated and the tank bacteria got working on it. I have no actual timeline, as I have never observed it in an aquarium situation, but I have seen it break down within months in a humid reptile enclosure. __________________ G. A. Christian Bilou, Zoologist/Writer Founder/Director, Reptile Rescue Alberta Vice-President, Calgary Aquarium Society www.calgaryaquariumsociety.com Polypterid/Primitive Fish/Ctenopoma/Catfish Fanatic 62 Aquariums, 2200+ total gallons, Aquarist since 1971.

09-12-2005, 02:00 PM	#9
workfortheman Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 484 Images: 1	Crap. too bad it's not usable, that stuff is pretty sweet lookin'! __________________ Ernie www.ErnestJohn.com

09-12-2005, 05:55 PM	#10
Toirtis Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 6,768	It is.....you could get a snake or some lizards to display it with... __________________ G. A. Christian Bilou, Zoologist/Writer Founder/Director, Reptile Rescue Alberta Vice-President, Calgary Aquarium Society www.calgaryaquariumsociety.com Polypterid/Primitive Fish/Ctenopoma/Catfish Fanatic 62 Aquariums, 2200+ total gallons, Aquarist since 1971.

09-09-2005, 08:24 PM	#3
Tiffi Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: first ST-Germany, now TN-USA Posts: 1,052 Images: 19	If it doesn't sink, you can drill a hole in it and connect it to a flat piece of stone. That way it won't float up. Bury the stone inb the gravel and nobody will know .

09-09-2005, 08:27 PM	#4
Tiffi Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: first ST-Germany, now TN-USA Posts: 1,052 Images: 19	It will be save for the aquarium, just try to cook it out, to get the bacteria etc. off of it, that you don't want in your tank. It's some nice pieces. I know in Germany they call this kind of wood Mopani. Should be the same here. I got it too in my tank.

09-10-2005, 09:37 AM	#6
Tiffi Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: first ST-Germany, now TN-USA Posts: 1,052 Images: 19	I am very sorry! It looked pretty close to what I've got here. But the "holes" seem to be more .

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