Aquarium Wood...a Cheaper Way?

[mrvillicus]

Im after some wood for a centrepiece, obviously there are thousands out there and some of them are quite expensive, im wondering...wood is wood and agreed certain types can only be used in an aquarium but does anyone know how to get some nice wood cheaper than online shops or local LFS? I literally might go to a local wood or somewhere and have a mooch

 

[mike455555]

iv gotten stuff from the woods before...

i tend to get live wood. it will leach tatins to start (these are not harmful to fish, just turn the water brown)
avoid pine trees as they can leach chemicals what can hurt the fish
use a hard wood so its not going to rot fast
i tend to use hawthorn.

 

[mrvillicus]

iv gotten stuff from the woods before...

i tend to get live wood. it will leach tatins to start (these are not harmful to fish, just turn the water brown)
avoid pine trees as they can leach chemicals what can hurt the fish
use a hard wood so its not going to rot fast
i tend to use hawthorn.

ahh thanks, I thought i was mad considering using free wood! if i can get a piece for free then im gonna get it!!

 

[LucyB]

I found a nice small piece of wood (it was already dead though) Soaked it for a week with a rock on it (to make it sink) and used in my fry tank, never had any problems!

 

[mrvillicus]

ill get to the woods tomorrow then

 

[MBOU]

Wood from the woods is fine.... BUT please make sure you know for certain what wood it is!! You dont want it leaching nasties into the water! If you are unsure... dont take it... if you know its from a tree but dont know what tree is... snap a photo of it! Bet we could ID it for you.

Oak, Hazel, Beech are more common in woods and both are fine, anything evergreen including holly and pine etc is bad. Fruit tree wood is good too (apple, cherry, pear etc) if you have any trees near you. We have wild cherry and plum (plum type species anyway! dare say damson or quince or something really).

Either way, dont choose nice bit of wood for the pretty bark it might have because you will need to pull it off or it will rot and come off anyway. You need to scrub it within an inch of its life, certainly dont want any of the bugs or lichen or mould or anything like that in your tank..

Other than that... happy hunting!

 

[zuulan]

Just remember to soak it in a bucket for awhile and only use it once your happy with the brownness. It may not be harmful to the fish, but you may not like the look of it.

 

[ShinySideUp]

At the very least you must, must boil it.

In another thread I told of the sorry loss of an entire tank of fish and was convinced it was because I had accidentally left the filter off for a couple of days. However after some input from the folks here it seemed unlikely that would have caused a mass extinction.

It was only a few days later I remembered I had put a piece of root in the tank a week before. I had soaked it for a couple of weeks and nothing had come out and it sank when I put it in the aquarium. I now believe that it was the wood in addition to the filter disconnect that caused the deaths.

I shall never again use wood I found out and about even if I was just unlucky the last time.

 

[malajulinka]

I went down to the local lakeshore and scavenged some driftwood, as well some beautiful water-worn bricks. Soaked it and boiled it, but still had to tie it down when it went in the tank. So far, everything is going swimmingly, and I'm slowly stocking my tank. The wood did grow some fungus at first but it didn't seem to affect my tetras or BNPs, and has now cleared up nicely.

My advice is to make sure the tank is well cycled (should go without saying), and when you add fish, add only a few at a time with a hospital tank ready. That way if there is a problem, you've got a back-up. Also be DILIGENT about water changes. For the first month or so after my tetras went into the new tank I changed 30% of the water every 2-3 days just to be safe.

It can be done, but prepare for the worst.

 

[jrgofish4life]

Well then, HELL with it! I'm goin to the woods to save me some money.

 

[minnnt]

How do you boil a 3ft piece of wood?

As long as the wood is dead you can use any type you want. I am currently using pine, but it must have been dead for about 4 or 5 years.


Cutteri Tank by David Raynham, on Flickr

 

[JohnDyer]

Smaller pieces of driftwood are usually fairly cheap on Ebay and such
The stuff in the woods is usually fresh or rotten, I don't imagine much drying and curing going on.

 

[mike455555]

try drift wood... altho u'll have to soak it for a long time to get rid of the salt.

minnnt is that your puffer tank?

 

[mrvillicus]

some great suggestions and advice there guys, much appreciated

 

[mrvillicus]

id love to know where the shops get manzanita and redmoor from