Id this wood...Fish safe?

[chonhzilla]

I was at my in-laws this past weekend and noticed a fake flower bush next to the bathroom door. I took a closer look and to my surprise it was a real piece of wood....well with fake flowers and leaves clipped on to it.....not glued but clipped on.....anyways...I asked my wife if it was new....she said " not that thing is over 8 years old, and we've had it since I was 11"........I was like WOW!!!.....the wood looks amazing....then I said " ask your mom if I can have it"....my wife was like "WFT?!".....she gave me a look like I was crazy...well theres the story and here it is a smaller piece of wood....

My question is:......what kind of wood is it?.......and is it fish safe?.....


yes its red with a light sheen....and its been sitting around for I guess over 8 years in a vase....looks chalky but its just dust.

 

[chemicall]

Try soaking it in water, maybe pour a bit of vinegar on it see if it fizzes, and finally test it in a tank with a fish that you could spare..........

 

[ShipOfFools37]

i'm no tree expert, but it looks like the japanese maple my parents used to have in the front yard....

 

[jmart.cooper]

I believe most wood is fairly fish safe, as long as it hasnt been treated with anything. Make sure to soak it for a while anyway to leach and potential toxins out before adding any fish. If I were to take a random guess as to what kind of wood it is, I would say cherry.

 

[chonhzilla]

Try soaking it in water, maybe pour a bit of vinegar on it see if it fizzes, and finally test it in a tank with a fish that you could spare..........

What if it does fizz up?...good or bad?

 

[Drunken]

bad...

Avoid fruit tree`s and pine, most hardwoods are safe tough

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Stay away from softwoods. Also, if the pieces still look like they are fresh they may still have sap and other things in it, and this is bad.

There also is some types of woods that can not be used no matter what. Before adding it to any tank I'd make sure it was safe. To me it doesnt look very weathered, it still looks fresh.

 

[black_sun]

Try soaking it in water, maybe pour a bit of vinegar on it see if it fizzes, and finally test it in a tank with a fish that you could spare..........

I thought the vinegar test only "worked" on rocks because it reacted to calcium carbonate (if present), causing it to fizzle because of the chemical reaction?

Though, at the very least vinegar does make a good cleaner for any bacteria that may be on the surface of the wood.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Stay away from softwoods. Also, if the pieces still look like they are fresh they may still have sap and other things in it, and this is bad.

It does look kind of green still.

 

[knifegill]

It's probably gunked over with household cleaners, air fresheners and even preservatory resins. I'd go hack the end off of a living maple tree and bake it out instead of using that toxic thing.