Aquarium safe wood?

[Alistriwen]

I was just wondering if anyone knew what types of wood would be safe for an aquarium? Alot of branches are falling around here, and some of them, I think, would look nice in our tanks. My concern is that they may harm the fish or break up in the water and become a mess. Im curious what sorts of woods are safe for aquariums and how I would prepare them for aquarium use. I assume theyd be boiled like most other things, but is there anything else I need to do to prevent them from decomposing?

Anyone who knows your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ziggy2]

I would not use anything that didn't come out of a river or body of water. There is too much stuff that can seep from wood that has not been exposed to water already.

 

[importracer]

Stay away from apple, pear, any fruit branches.....Go to your local stream and collect wood....Boil it and let it stand outside under the sun for a day or two.....There are few members on this site that collect wood and sell for good prices...

 

[MCHRKiller]

I wouldnt use wood that has just fallen around outside since alot of it at one point or another has been sprayed with chemicals, or exposed to alot of crap we put in our environment. Id go to a water system and find some, or use some grapevine intended for herps. If you get the brown/lighter mixed grapevine its perfectly tank safe...looks great underwater and is typically dirt cheap. I have a piece in my 75G that is about 30"L, 16"wide and 18" tall....I had to cut it down to get it into the tank...its very branchy and looks wonderful. But I got it for 40bucks at my LFS.

 

[Alistriwen]

So any wood I find lying in the river near me is fine or am I looking for specific wood in the river?

 

[MCHRKiller]

Most wood that youll find in a body of water will be pretty much indestinguishable from the type of tree that it specifically came from. Generally pieces that are submerged and are water logged and have no signs of decay...are perfectly acceptable. You should probably run it threw a couple rounds of boiling(or fully submerging it in hot water) for a few days to kill off any potential critters living in the wood before putting it in your tank.