Arbutus tree branches as driftwood?

[tali931]

Hello, I've been playing around with the idea of using arbutus tree in my tanks as it grows everywhere around my house. It's a barkless tree that has pretty cool looking branches but I'm not sure if it would be safe. It's from the manzanita tree family and I think some people use that in their tanks? Also what is the best and quickest way of treating wood so it's ready for a tank? Any advice or suggestions would be great.. Thanks

 

[Mr. Nowhere]

I boil mine, are you using fresh cuttings? Or older dead limbs

 

[Fishperson]

You should boil it and soak it in water that you change when it gets tea colored. Do this until it mostly stops leeching tannins (the things that make the water brown). They don't do harm they just dirty up the water.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[tali931]

I was hoping to use fresh cuttings.. Will boiling it be enough? Thanks guys