Driftwood

[julielynn47]

Do any of you know where to purchase drift wood?  I got a little piece a couple of years ago from Petco. But they don't always have it.  I don't know enough about driftwood to go looking for it on river banks.  Heck, I am not even sure driftwood is in rivers...so, now you know how smart I am when it come to driftwood. I associate it with the beach. LOL
 
Any help in looking in the right direction would be appreciated
 
 

 

[NickAu]

 
 I don't know enough about driftwood to go looking for it on river banks

I would never add wood I found in a river to my betta tank.
 
 
Try Ebay or Amazon.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Petco's reptile section usually has some very nice pieces of mopani wood - 100% pet safe.  

 

[Munroco]

I picked up 6 or 7 pieces on the beach earlier. I only go for wood with no bark that has been scoured by the elements. I submerge it in a tub for a couple of weeks until it loses buoyancy then I boil give it a scrub. I prefer to find my own, much better fun.

 

[julielynn47]

I don't really have any place except the rivers and creeks around me to gather it.   I did not know that I could use the wood sold for reptiles in my tank. I will have to check that out!

 

[Byron]

I don't really have any place except the rivers and creeks around me to gather it.   I did not know that I could use the wood sold for reptiles in my tank. I will have to check that out!

 
No, this will not always work.  Only buy wood labelled for an aquarium.  Wood intended for reptiles may be safe sometimes, but some of it is not safe when submerged.
 
And I agree not to collect "wild" wood, in your case.  This can be fraught with problems.
 
Byron.

 

[Huntress]

I found a good piece at Petco. Don't look online though really. I tried to find them online but found there smaller than expected and well just don't trust them as much. Also when you get it make sure you soak it, I tried to soak mine till the brownish color was out.  Good luck at finding a good driftwood piece.

 

[DWC]

I have purchased Mopani driftwood pieces several times from Drs. Foster and Smith (drsfostersmith.com) in U.S. and have always been happy with size and quality. Very heavy so don't need to soak to sink but it will discolor water for some time. I left pieces in bucket of tap water, flushing daily for a week, and then added to tank. I don't really notice water discoloration any more but when I do a weekly water change the tank with the newest piece still shows discoloration in white catch bucket. The pieces have been naturally covered in Java Moss and Java Ferns over time, never needed to tie on plants they just grabbed hold eventually though my tanks are low flow, only sponge filters, in single betta 10 gallon tanks. The advertised small pieces were great for a 10g, the medium fits but dominates tank.

David

 

[thrujenseyes]

Amazon sells Malasian driftwood online and the seller has tons of amazing reviews.  You can choose the size of the piece but the shape will be what it is....most people are thrilled with them when received.
 
I attempted to do this after reading the stellar reviews...
I laugh every time I tell this....
 
Instead of an adorable piece of Malasian Driftwood (like my order said and the tag on the item also said)...
I got...
wait for it...
 
A Green Lantern Super Hero Costume ....for a Dog...in a size small.
 
Had it not been a small I would have been tempted to try it on one of my dogs (dobermans) but it was very tiny.  
 
I have NO clue how that mixup even happened but I never did attempt to reorder...I'm afraid of what I might get next?!?!
 
Anyway...everyone but me seemed to have luck on Amazon...people even post great shots of what they got.  Not me.  I got a tiny canine superhero costume...?!

 

[fishmad135]

Ebay sells individual pieces of red moor wood - you can bid on the exact piece of wood, tailored to the amount of branches, size and thickness you require! The price isn't steep either!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

 

I don't really have any place except the rivers and creeks around me to gather it.   I did not know that I could use the wood sold for reptiles in my tank. I will have to check that out!

 
No, this will not always work.  Only buy wood labelled for an aquarium.  Wood intended for reptiles may be safe sometimes, but some of it is not safe when submerged.
 
And I agree not to collect "wild" wood, in your case.  This can be fraught with problems.
 
Byron.
 

 
What mopani wood marked safe for reptiles has been proven to be unsafe for fish when submerged?

 

[Byron]

What mopani wood marked safe for reptiles has been proven to be unsafe for fish when submerged?
 

 
I was more concerned with the general impression left with the OP (who has other threads too) that "reptile wood" is safe.  Not all of it is, according to what I have read by those in various forums and sites.  Some of the wood may be treated.  But I cannot say much more as I've no idea.  But only buying wood indicated to be safe for submerged use in fish aquaria seems a more wise practice.
 
Byron.

 

[NickAu]

 
 But only buying wood indicated to be safe for submerged use in fish aquaria seems a more wise practice.

I asked my LFS about this, His reply was " Do you see any Reptile wood in my shop?  No its because its not all safe for aquariums" He them went on to explain that not all wood sold on ebay for use in aquariums is fish safe.

 

[Baccus]

If you know the parent plant and its origins and possible contaminations from say nearby herbicide applications then collecting from the wild is not an issue. I have collected much of my own timbers for my tanks and never had an issue.
If you can not identify the parent plant and its origins or if it has possibly been contaminated by nearby poisoning practices (e.g. local parks and gardens workers spraying roundup over fallen timber to prevent weeds growing tall through any wood piles) then do not risk it and stick to purchasing timbers allocated as tank safe. Also be careful of collecting drift woods from along the beach (in some places this is illigal especially in Australia regarding mangrove roots), some beaches especially around built up areas can have a high unseen pollution such as oils/ pertols due to run off from nearby roads. Also wood that has been submerged for a long time in salt water can retain high levels of salt.

 

[julielynn47]

I kinda shy away from such things on Ebay. Just not sure what I would be getting. But that is just my opinion, it may be really safe.  I am searching on Amazon, see a lot there.  I order a lot from drsfosterandsmith , I might try there. If I can't find any in Hot Springs tomorrow I will decide where I will order from.   I want a rather large piece for my 75 gallon. I know a fish place in Hot Springs that sells it, but I can't afford to pay the money they want for it. I am not saying it is not worth it or that they shouldn't make a profit, I am just saying I have to find it cheaper that what they want for it.  I will try Petco and see what I can find tomorrow.