Tree branches/wood in tanks

[wildflower]

Going to finish setting up my tank for my bluegill this weekend. I have looked around and it seems like some people are against and for it with all different reasons, but setting up this tank would it be safe for the fish to use tree branches instead of just normal driftwood? Not branches right off the tree but wood that has been cut and drying since last summer.

I was just kind of thinking it being a native fish, branches fall into ponds/lakes all the time and it doesn't bother them then (I realize it could be different in a smaller space). I plan on washing it/soaking it in hot water and making sure there is no pests in it. We don't use pesticides or anything in our yard and so I know it is free from anything like that.

But peoples opinions on this or if you have tried it. I understand it will rot eventually and could possibly release tannins that would darken the water, which is not a big deal to me. It would be either Apple wood or Maple from what I could find in my yard.

If someone wanted could they use green wood fresh from a tree? What about willow branches?
Sorry there's a lot of questions in this but there really isn't much online about it. but I see a lot of pictures with branches in them and they don't look like driftwood, it still has bark and some even look like they left leaves on them. It seemed pretty clear that any sort of pine is bad on all of the sites I have looked at.

 

[Adamrhh]

I think what the reason for is that non drift wood will rot, the tree branches when left in your water will begin to rot.

 

[JasonsPlecosCichlids]

From another forum:

No. Brushwood is the term for using a piece of wood in an aquarium that's never been submerged in water before. Brushwood contains fungal spores and is prone to rotting when it is wet. If it is placed in the aquarium without treatment it will rot, and produce slimy bacterial blooms. Boil it for an hour or more before butting it in your aquarium. Do not use pine or softwood brushwood, because the sap is harmful to fish. All of the aromatic woods contain toxic, volatile oils known as Phenols. The best woods for the aquariums are from fruit bearing trees (apple, pear, cherry, walnut, oak etc), anything 'sappy' (ie pine, cedar, beech, maple, sycamore) have high contents of Phenols and are toxic to most life forms in some respect (it has been proven that pine/cedar shavings cause cancer and liver damage in rodents). That is why pine is used in furniture and cedar is used in mothballs. Make sure the wood is dead and not already rotting.

 

[Gill Blue]

I got some good wood out of lake huron.

 

[wildflower]

That is what I need to do, take a day trip to one of the lakes and search for wood and stones. Give me an excuse to visit lake michigan and grand haven.

 

[jdhuegel1]

I've utilized wood found submerged in my local streams/rivers with no issues. I also used coffee wood for bird cages... that was a real pain in the butt. Soaked it for weeks. Boiled it. You name it. Bacteria bloomed like mad and grew fur. That took nearly 6 months to clear. The good news? Fish didn't care one bit and it looks beautiful now.

Some of the wood I've gotten in creeks has started to deteriorate - but the crayfish seem to love it so I'm leaving it. It rots in nature, it rots in my tank.

 

[Chub_by]

I use wood from my garden all the time. Make sure you remove the bark(fungus harbour) and the tree was not sprayed with pesticides and you're good to go.

 

[virgil2090]

I collect wood from rivers and lakes to use in all my tanks.some has been dried, weathered from the river and would be considered DW.

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