drifft wood need help

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C

carlo1988

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 13, 2009
90
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milltown NJ
i wana go ot the woods and lack right next to my house and find some nice nice wood i wana know what kind of wood that i can use for my tank and what i have to do to make sure it is safe for my tank so if some one can help me out or tell me what not ot do and stuff it would help thanks
 
hard woods seem to be the way to go, generally people boil the peices before they go into the tank, and you must make sure they are dry, fresh stuff can poison fish.

cheers mark~
 
i'm not a wood expert, but be careful . . . you have to stay away from live wood. they release sap and other ingredients that could kill fish. just make sure it's dead or dried out.
 
Hard wood is the only way.....wood needs to be in water a long time to release all the toxins in it. Also look for drift wood in fast moving currents slow or stagnant water can cause toxic things in wood. I read a post on (MFK) to soak the wood in salt for 2-3 days then 2-3 day in regular water to take the salt out. Also no bark as it will fall off and rot. Hope this helps
 
I'm glad this thread was posted b/c I have had the same question as well. I have a couple root balls from small trees that I was wondering if I could put in a tank ... I just have no idea what kind of wood they are.
 
When in doubt, don't use. I got two big driftwoods from my friend's place and spent countless hours removing some burnt parts, some bark left, I boiled it, I put it in a large drum to release toxins, I weighed it down...just so much time and effort, in the end, it was still leeaching and wouldn't sink.

I just ditched it, went to my LFS and bought a much more beautiful one $25, when I put it into my pond, it sank and released no toxins...best $25 I've spent! There are pictures of it in my thread.

DIY other things, when it comes to driftwood, just spend your money.
 
ya.. most times.. driftwood from the wild is off limit and illegal to bring back home... And you wont know if they are best suited for your fish...
 
im glad this thread was posted, im just a little curious as to how to do it, specially since ive got some nice piece of wood up at my cottage in PA
 
If you find old, gray, skeletal, rock-hard wood, it's good to use whatever kind of tree it came from. Otherwise, you really need to know what sort of wood it is. Some woods rot quickly in water and spoil your water quality. Others have toxic saps.

The hardwood/softwood divide is not enough by itself; some softwoods, such as baldcypress, weathered red cedar, and white cedar are fine in tanks, while some hardwoods, such as willow and walnut, are not suitable for tanks. It is true that softwoods such as pine and spruce are totally unsuited to tanks, being toxic and prone to rapid decomposition.

DIY driftwood is great, but really does require a bit of tree knowledge. If you aren't sure, don't risk it.
 
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