Type of wood for drift wood

[maxumum2]

I was wondering if there is any type of wood that is harmfull if put into a tank. I'm thinking something like black walnut would be. I have a cherry stumps I can get that is nice and rooty.

Sent from my PG86100 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[joe jaskot]

Most hardwood are fine to use as driftwood as long as the wood is dead and the sap dried out. Avoid softwoods such as pine and cedar. They are too oily.

 

[BIG-G]

If you have any local bodies of water you can usually find some good pieces of drift wood. Just be sure to make sure their are no hitchhikers.

 

[snake8myelbo]

Most hardwood are fine to use as driftwood as long as the wood is dead and the sap dried out. Avoid softwoods such as pine and cedar. They are too oily.

+1 I'll soak it in a salt bath with water softener salt 99% pure. To kill any bugs

Sent from my C6606 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[maxumum2]

My dad has trees he cut down a few years back and the root system is nice on it I'm planning on just pressure washing it and soaking it

Sent from my PG86100 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[Gill Blue]

since it isn't driftwood, I would soak it very well:
One of the more sinister aspects of cherry's strange chemistry is that it harbors some bitter and potentially dangerous compounds. Ordinarily, unless an individual has a highly allergic sensitivity to the compounds in cherry, the only noticeable impact they have on most woodworkers is that they contribute to the wood's pleasant scent. In fact, some of these compounds, when sweetened or diluted with other ingredients, produce commercially important flavorings or even helpful medicines. For example, packing strips of the inner bark into a jar filled with whiskey yields a tannin-rich concoction that has been used for centuries as a folk tonic and cough suppressant. However, lurking among these compounds is a glycoside (a sugar derivative) called prunasin, which is a precursor of cyanide in that it can combine with hydrogen in the digestive system to form hydrocyanic acid (also called prussic acid.) Prunasin is found mostly in the foliage and seed pits of cherry and other related fruit trees, but small amounts of it are also present in the wood.

cyanide is used to capture live fish, so it isn't highly toxic to them, but I'd be mildly concerned about long term low level exposure. I don't even know if there's anything to worry about, but with some algae able to etch glass, I'd think it's possible they could do something. maybe leading to off-gassing from the water. doesn't take much to kill a human.
something to do some research on.

personally I'd probably use it once I got it soaked to the point there wasn't much tannins showing up in hot water, and I love tannins.