I was out at a local mill pond bass fishin earlier and I noticed there is alot of really intricate cypress knees that would look super cool in an aquarium. At the back of the pond the water is kindof low and they would be weasy to get in the boat with a hack saw? Will these harm the fish you think? If they are ok to use what would i need to do to them to put them in a tank?
Cypress knees in Sa/Ca Cichlid Tank?
- Thread starter v3n0m
- Start date
As far as I know, cutting your own cypress knees is now illegal.
I purchased cypress knees from a local store that must be authorized to cut because they have a ton of them and the store is well-known. They are taking FOREVER to waterlog. I've had them in Rubbermaid tubs outdoors for 2 weeks and they just now are soft enough to take the bark off. However, they are still bobbing like corks on the water surface and I have to weigh them down with bricks. My friend has some from the same dealer in his empty cycling tank. His are now waterlogged but his wood pieces have been going through that weird white fungus stage for over a month. So he can't put fish in yet. In other words, it takes a long time to prep for your tank (at least 2 months).
If you want to do it the legal way, find a dealer by googling for cypress knees. The fungus stage is a big nuisance. I'll let my pieces go through that process outdoors in the rubbermaid tubs before putting them in my tank.
I purchased cypress knees from a local store that must be authorized to cut because they have a ton of them and the store is well-known. They are taking FOREVER to waterlog. I've had them in Rubbermaid tubs outdoors for 2 weeks and they just now are soft enough to take the bark off. However, they are still bobbing like corks on the water surface and I have to weigh them down with bricks. My friend has some from the same dealer in his empty cycling tank. His are now waterlogged but his wood pieces have been going through that weird white fungus stage for over a month. So he can't put fish in yet. In other words, it takes a long time to prep for your tank (at least 2 months).
If you want to do it the legal way, find a dealer by googling for cypress knees. The fungus stage is a big nuisance. I'll let my pieces go through that process outdoors in the rubbermaid tubs before putting them in my tank.
Wow ive never heard of cutting cypress knees being illigal here in nc, and the ones i want are submerged the majority of time at the mill pond, would it still take forever to prep them even though they have been under water for...god knows how long.
it shouldnt take too long since they are already submerged...but id find ones that are completely submerged if you want it to take even less time. I dont know the laws here in NC on cutting them either.
Natalie...tell your friend to put some rubberlip plecos in her tank. They will eat that white algae rather quickly. Sarah88 on here did that and it solved her problem in a few weeks.
Natalie...tell your friend to put some rubberlip plecos in her tank. They will eat that white algae rather quickly. Sarah88 on here did that and it solved her problem in a few weeks.
Honestly I'm not sure about the prep process for actively growing cypress. I'm sure it's shorter, but you might still need to boil it or get rid of potential contaminants some other way.
I don't know about NC, but here in FL it's definitely illegal. I suspect it'd be ok if you own the property, but not in a public place. I've heard of people being arrested down here for it, though, so be careful and make sure it's ok first.
I don't know about NC, but here in FL it's definitely illegal. I suspect it'd be ok if you own the property, but not in a public place. I've heard of people being arrested down here for it, though, so be careful and make sure it's ok first.
yeah i dont know if its illegal here in nc, i could see it being illegal in florida since yall have issues with habitat preservation but not sure if the same law is in NC, but yeah i dont see why not. and that white fungus stuff isnt harmful to fish FYI, it just looks gross. i have mopani wood in my tank and this wood sinks right away but since the pieces i got had been dried out all the way, when i put them in my tank they grew that white fungus pillowy stuff for like 6 months!! it took FOREVER to go away and this wasnt even wood from NC its african wood from store, so dont worry if it grows that stuff it will eventually go away trick is to not scrub or anything just let it take its course, and yeah i think it would look awesome in a tank to do that, i wish i could find more intricate pieces for my tank. just make sure to give a good scrubbing and soak in hot water and white vinegar and rinse well (and of course make sure to post pics when you have it set up 
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edit: and yeah like VRWC said i added rubber lip plecos and they helped a bit but think it was just time and letting it be that helped the most just have to be patient
)edit: and yeah like VRWC said i added rubber lip plecos and they helped a bit but think it was just time and letting it be that helped the most just have to be patient
I'm gonna get some and give it a try, theres bookoos of it out there. It's a private pond, no1 will know but me and you guys lol. Next time i go out ill take some pictures, some of them look insane. Gorgeous pieces, gotta have it 
Thanks for the tips. Ill get pics of a variety of them and if you want any freebies sarah, or anyone else in the area, you could lemme know which ones, id be happy to meet you in the middle, wilmington is only about a 30 minute ride.
Thanks for the tips. Ill get pics of a variety of them and if you want any freebies sarah, or anyone else in the area, you could lemme know which ones, id be happy to meet you in the middle, wilmington is only about a 30 minute ride.oh really?! i didnt realize you were that close, yeah that would be awesome if you were willing to do that and then meet up halfway, ive really been wanting some more pieces for my tank and especially some upwards branching pieces (that would look like roots coming down into the water and give vertical dimension to the deco) but really any cool looking pieces you could get would be cool and very appreciated
The next time I get out there ill take and send you some pics and if you like anything just lemme know and we'll set you up.
