Bamboo safe for fish?

[redtailfool]

live bamboo should work but just the bamboo stick... i dont know if you can submerge those in water without leeching anything out.

 

[guppy]

I saw an article where kiln dried bamboo was used for housing large #s of spiney eels, I have used it for knife fish. It will eventually soften but it takes a long time, just watch it and replace it when needed. Live bamboo cuttings are great looking and wood shrimp love them. Don't varnish it, varnish can poison your fish. If your want it to last longer rub it inside and out with pure beeswax. I wouldn't. Plecos like to rasp on it.

 

[redtailfool]

I saw an article where kiln dried bamboo was used for housing large #s of spiney eels, I have used it for knife fish. It will eventually soften but it takes a long time, just watch it and replace it when needed. Live bamboo cuttings are great looking and wood shrimp love them. Don't varnish it, varnish can poison your fish. If your want it to last longer rub it inside and out with pure beeswax. I wouldn't. Plecos like to rasp on it.

great info guppyman

 

[Oddball]

I use kiln-dried bamboo garden stakes in my dat tanks. I seal them to large flower pot shards to make mini bamboo jungles for the dats to weave in and out of (like mangrove roots). The bamboo averages about 2 years before it starts breaking down rapidly and need to be replaced.

 

[islander671]

I use kiln-dried bamboo garden stakes in my dat tanks. I seal them to large flower pot shards to make mini bamboo jungles for the dats to weave in and out of (like mangrove roots). The bamboo averages about 2 years before it starts breaking down rapidly and need to be replaced.

Okay that kiln-dried stuff i got from home depot, originally i bought some untreated stuff, but as per the advice of Redtailfool and Kutty (thanks guys) i chose to not use the untreated stuff. my one dat that i have in my bamboo tank loves to slowly weave in and out of the stalks as he goes after food.

 

[islander671]

great info guppyman

Agreed.
Guppy, any chance that article you read was online? also what knife fish did you keep?

Hey RedTail, just notice that you were from NJ. I go to the Ft.Dix, MCguire area every now and again, any good LFS in that area you might know of?

 

[WckedMidas]

whats about them live bambo plants the orintals sell at fleamarkets its green and grows not dead?

 

[kuruppa]

whats about them live bambo plants the orintals sell at fleamarkets its green and grows not dead?

I think the light brown ones should be safer?

 

[guppy]

Agreed.
Guppy, any chance that article you read was online? also what knife fish did you keep?

Hey RedTail, just notice that you were from NJ. I go to the Ft.Dix, MCguire area every now and again, any good LFS in that area you might know of?

The article was in an old "ENTREPENUER" magazine I think, Part of a series on small "bio" businesses. At that time I had a brown and a mottled knife, at other times i"ve had clown and mousetailed knives. The live Bamboo I used was a pale green/yellow, rooted cuttings in shallow pots and it came from a lfs, Koi handlers sometimes have it, I don't know about other kinds, but I would avoid Knotted bamboo and live rattan due to the thorns. A 3" needle sharp spike could ruin the day of your favorite fish in a hurry.

 

[TFHobbiest1]

Anyone ever use natural bamboo sticks for aquarium decor? Is it safe for the fish, The ones i have are "untreated" and the Dat and Clown knife dont seem to have a problem with it, but do you think in the long run it might bother them? Clown knife loves to weave between the sticks at night.hehe