Willow for driftwood, if not, what?

[fish_4_all]

I have a mess of willow right beside my house. Is it safe to use as driftwood if I can get it so sink? If not, I have access to the following wood in my local rivers:
Oak
Fir
Birch
Hemlock
Cherry
Cedar
Pine
Spruce
Alder

Any of them suitable if Willow is not?

If none of these will work, is this ok?
http://cgi.ebay.com/CYPRESS-DRIFTWO...88317QQcategoryZ66790QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

All I want is something my plecos can chew on for their fiber, not a hiding spot. And a drift wood that will support java moss and java fern.

 

[Hillbilly Jerry]

Not sure about most of those, but I do know oak and cedar will work just fine.

 

[QTOFFER]

You'll have to boil, bleach, and rinse collected wood extensively to avoid bring little nasties into your tank. I would either scrub or strip off the bark. It will probably take a loooong time for fresh wood to become waterlogged and sink, so you'll probably have to attach it to a big piece of slate with silicone or stainless steel screws.

Hemlock, cedar, pine, fir, and spruce contain resins and aromatic oils that take decades of weathering to dissipate - I would avoid them.

Willow, birch, and alder are common riparian trees that would look very natural in an aquarium. You could probably get some interesting, twisted pieces too. Not alot of tannins, but I wouldn't expect them to hold up underwater indefinitely.

Oak is chock full of tannins; cherry a bit less so - be prepared for tea-colored water for quite a while. Of the species you mentioned, these relatively dense woods would probably hold up best under water.

HTH

 

[fish_4_all]

Sounds like I will try the willow. It has good grain and is so heavy that it may sink fresh. Is growing in the swampy lot beside my house, in the middle of town no less.

Other suggestions would be helpful not only to me but everyone and I will let you know if my willow is sinking in less than a century. Will let everyone know if I find a descent source around here. Will help me make a little money to support my fishies and get some good driftwood to others on here at cheap prices.

 

[caribou]

I'm a bit confused, is cedar o.k. or not? I have a piece of atlantic drifwood that looks like it was in the water for a long time, but because of its dark color I suspect it could be cedar. It has no odor and is definetly too large to boil. Will it leach oils when soaked? I have a 25 gal plastic container that might be big enough for it. Ideas?

 

[fish_4_all]

The way I was told to determine if the heavy tanin woods were ready was to soak it in hot water and see if the water comes out clear. If it does, it has been soaked and weathered long enough. One other thing is I was told by many other club members that salt water wood should never be used in a fresh water setup. I will post the topic here when I find it again. The worst thing is it was my topic. lol.

 

[fish_4_all]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=49065&highlight=salt+water+driftwood

Not too much help but gives the general idea it wouldn't be worth the risk. Best to stay with what you know is fresh water and find a piece that has all the tanin leeched out of it. That is if it was a salt water find. Otherwise just ignore me as I babble on.

One other thing, now that I think about it. As a general rule, cedar should work as centerpiece but I don't know if I would use it as roughage source for plecos. After all, it is naturally an insect repelent because of the tanins and the nature of the wood. Might turn out to be poisonous.

 

[fish_4_all]

Then again, maybe it isn't so bad. I think we need an expert opinion here.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=8940&highlight=saltwater+driftwood

Here are more ideas and this one says cedar is ok.

Really confusing now that I did a search and started reading. Maybe ignorance would have been bliss this time. lol

 

[QTOFFER]

caribou, a piece of wood that spent considerable time in the sun on the beach should be OK.
I would definitely avoid freshly cut cedar.

 

[caribou]

Thanks for all of the input. AA has a great article, Driftwood, by Scott68TN, that is very informative. There's a lot of good info in AA's article section, I just forget to check there first sometimes for answers to my questions!

 

[pyealands]

I been useing driftwood from beaches for years in freshwater aquariums with no issues , I just wash with hose to get rid of sand , and then depending on the peice soak months in bins to get it to sink before useing .
This is the first time I've read that it's bad ....
An interesting note ,freshwater outside in bins with satwater driftwood is like a mozzy magnet , mozzys love that now brackish water .
I actually do this purposely every summer just to harvest the free mozzy fish food .

 

[Joe_D]

No mater what kind of wood you have just boil it until the water remains clear. Fact is, many types of wood and even roots is sold for aquarium use and is safe but, you should boil everything first.

 

[Colin_T]

I been useing driftwood from beaches for years in freshwater aquariums with no issues , I just wash with hose to get rid of sand , and then depending on the peice soak months in bins to get it to sink before useing .
This is the first time I've read that it's bad ....

I used to collect driftwood from the beach, rinse it off and pop it in the tank. I never had an issue. The only time you don't want to use driftwood from a beach is if there is oil/ fuel contamination in the water or on the sand. Then avoid the area.

I never boil driftwood. It doesn't get boiled before it falls in a river so why boil it for an aquarium.

The main types of wood you want to avoid are softwood like conifers (pines). Virtually all hardwood is fine, just make sure any wood is completely dry before adding to a tank. This reduces the chance of fungus and sap coming out of the wood.

Avoid using plants that are known to be toxic or produce a white sap.