Driftwood in the reptile section

[ejaramillo01]

I have a question, it's kind of related to driftwood. Since some time ago, I was looking for a piece of driftwood that looks like more like a branch, versus the regular shape that I have seen, which is more like a "log shape".
I found a piece at Petco, was in their reptile section, not the fish, was mixed with some malasian driftwood, but this piece was not labeled as malasian driftwood, but as a South African wood....

Do you think that if I boiled properly, several times, can be safe for my tank?

Thanks...

 

[JOMA]

idk the answer but i wanna know! ive been thinking the same thing!

 

[Homedog98]

I have a question, it's kind of related to driftwood. Since some time ago, I was looking for a piece of driftwood that looks like more like a branch, versus the regular shape that I have seen, which is more like a "log shape".
I found a piece at Petco, was in their reptile section, not the fish, was mixed with some malasian driftwood, but this piece was not labeled as malasian driftwood, but as a South African wood....

Do you think that if I boiled properly, several times, can be safe for my tank?

Thanks...

Yes, most of the good pieces are in the reptile section, so go for it!

 

[Punkyfish]

I wanna know too, the selection is better lol

 

[Homedog98]

You can easily do it. Just boil it, or if you don't mind the tannins, scrub it with really hot water, let it sit in a bucket for a few days, and plop it in. The tannins are harmless, and the driftwood is much cheaper when you Presoak it yourself.

 

[TraceyB4602]

They are fine as long as no reptile has come in contact with it. Just boil it off for a few days.

 

[Homedog98]

They are fine as long as no reptile has come in contact with it. Just boil it off for a few days.

Don't boil too much though... Or you wind up with mush.

 

[JOMA]

so just srcub and soak?

 

[Homedog98]

Pretty much!

 

[Shadowraven]

You can use pretty much any wood for your tanks, but hardwoods are a much beter choice. Most anything you find in the pet store should be OK, so long as it has not been treated with any chemicals.

If you're going to use it, make sure that you scrub the outside of it thoroughly with a brush. The brush you use should not have been used for anything else. A new one is best, something like a potato brush. When you clean the wood, don't use any kind of cleaners or soap, just water.

If it is wood that has never been submerged before, it will probably need to be soaked for a few days to become waterlogged. You will need something to hold it down in the water. Many pieces of driftwood are larger and hard to do this to, but try to keep as much of it submerged as possible. Once this is done you need to boil it for at least 15 min to kill any hitchhikers or pathogens. You may need to do this in sections depending on how big the piece is.

If you're trying to remove the tannins this will be a more involved process. Usually the only effect that tannins leaching from wood will do is stain the water and make it softer. In some cases it will also lower your pH, but it is usually minimal, depending on the situation.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Thanks to all!!

So I will start the boiling process, planing to add it to my tank this weekend!!

 

[Amicus]

I had initially bought a piece of South African root wood, not mopani. I had bought this this from the live tanks at my lfs. This wood did not have tannins. I then went to petco and bought a few pieces of mopani, scrubbed them and boiled them three times. It depends on each individual piece as far as the how long the tannins will stay in tank but it creates good conditions for most fish. Both of my woods are root wood and not driftwood. The root wood does not need to be held down and sinks right away.

 

[ejaramillo01]

I had initially bought a piece of South African root wood, not mopani. I had bought this this from the live tanks at my lfs. This wood did not have tannins. I then went to petco and bought a few pieces of mopani, scrubbed them and boiled them three times. It depends on each individual piece as far as the how long the tannins will stay in tank but it creates good conditions for most fish. Both of my woods are root wood and not driftwood. The root wood does not need to be held down and sinks right away.

I think that this is root also, not wood! Thanks

 

[Shadowraven]

I think that this is root also, not wood! Thanks

If it is root wood, then Amicus is right. It should be pretty heavy to begin with, depending on the wood. You'll know when you put it in the water anyway. Just boil it a little longer because it will be denser. The heat needs to go all the way through the wood. I made the mistake once of not boiling the wood long enough and introduced some real nasties to my tank.

 

[Viper]

You can use pretty much any wood for your tanks

This isn't entirely correct. There are only certain types of wood that should be used in fish tanks. There is a thread on here somewhere with a link that goes into detail about the woods that are usable in fish tanks and ones that are not. There are more woods that are not usable than ones that are. I believe one of the moderators or mentors posted the link so hopefully that person will see this and help out.

 

[Amicus]

I have had root wood in different tanks for years and they have all worked just fine with my levels and the health of my fishes very stable with proper maintenance. Although I have not read the thread I have gotten advice from some people who have been in the hobby longer than I have been alive. I am not sure if you were talking about root wood but this is how I have been doing it for a long time. IMO

 

[Shadowraven]

This isn't entirely correct. There are only certain types of wood that should be used in fish tanks. There is a thread on here somewhere with a link that goes into detail about the woods that are usable in fish tanks and ones that are not. There are more woods that are not usable than ones that are. I believe one of the moderators or mentors posted the link so hopefully that person will see this and help out.

You're right and I should have made myself clearer. That is what I meant when I said pretty much. I'll try to remedy that in the future. Sometimes when I type I forget that I didn't say everything I should.

The wood you use is best if it dried out and clear of any rot. Dried bogwood is good but will leach more tannins into the tank then some others will.

There are woods that are totally unsuitable for the tank. Some woods will exude oil or toxins into the tank. Be careful of any wood that you find near a waterway or near farms. Many of these can contain chemical pesticide or herbicide residues from agricultural outflow that could kill your fish. Check before you add.

You can use soft woods, but I would advise against it. These woods will fall apart quickly under water. Coniferous wood may also leach toxins into the water. Soft woods include pine, cedar, fir, aspen, spruce, balsa, & locust.

Hardwoods are the best. They will stand up better to being submerged. Hardwoods include oak, teak, ironwood, elm, ash, alder, basswood, cypress, cottonwood, hickory and walnut. There are many others. You can search for them on the web to find more.

 

[Viper]

You're right and I should have made myself clearer. That is what I meant when I said pretty much. I'll try to remedy that in the future. Sometimes when I type I forget that I didn't say everything I should.

The wood you use is best if it dried out and clear of any rot. Dried bogwood is good but will leach more tannins into the tank then some others will.

There are woods that are totally unsuitable for the tank. Some woods will exude oil or toxins into the tank. Be careful of any wood that you find near a waterway. Many of these can contain chemical pesticide or herbicide residues from agricultural outflow that could kill your fish. Check before you add.

You can use soft woods, but I would advise against it. These woods will fall apart quickly under water. Coniferous wood may also leach toxins into the water. Soft woods include pine, cedar, fir, aspen, spruce, balsa, & locust.

Hardwoods are the best. They will stand up better to being submerged. Hardwoods include oak, teak, ironwood, elm, ash, alder, basswood, cypress, cottonwood, hickory and walnut. There are many others. You can search for them on the web to find more.

Nice clarification!

 

[Amicus]

You're right and I should have made myself clearer. That is what I meant when I said pretty much. I'll try to remedy that in the future. Sometimes when I type I forget that I didn't say everything I should.

The wood you use is best if it dried out and clear of any rot. Dried bogwood is good but will leach more tannins into the tank then some others will.

There are woods that are totally unsuitable for the tank. Some woods will exude oil or toxins into the tank. Be careful of any wood that you find near a waterway or near farms. Many of these can contain chemical pesticide or herbicide residues from agricultural outflow that could kill your fish. Check before you add.

You can use soft woods, but I would advise against it. These woods will fall apart quickly under water. Coniferous wood may also leach toxins into the water. Soft woods include pine, cedar, fir, aspen, spruce, balsa, & locust.

Hardwoods are the best. They will stand up better to being submerged. Hardwoods include oak, teak, ironwood, elm, ash, alder, basswood, cypress, cottonwood, hickory and walnut. There are many others. You can search for them on the web to find more.

I agree, very nice clarification. Didn't even get that from some of the old-timers I know!

 

[Amicus]

Thanks to Viper too for leading the way.