Fish gasping when bogwood is in tank

[Uberhoust]

Just for note I have used many different types of wood in my tanks, including Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Black Cottonwood, Manzanita to name a few. All locally collected. The major common factor is they have all been dead for years and heavily aged. I will not use anything that has any deposits of sap or pitch.

 

[mark4785]

Just for note I have used many different types of wood in my tanks, including Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Black Cottonwood, Manzanita to name a few. All locally collected. The major common factor is they have all been dead for years and heavily aged. I will not use anything that has any deposits of sap or pitch.

The bogwood I used was sourced from a LFS where they keep them in the hot sun on a dry pallet. I’ve never seen any sap or anything liquid for that matter on their pieces. If I had saw this I would also not have bought it.

 

[mark4785]

I thought I would post the following photo in regards to the bogwood. The problem bogwood is on the right and has dried out very quick and a piece that has never caused any issues is still wet. Should I deduce anything from this?

 

[Colin_T]

Is the driftwood burnt?
Charcoal is caustic and can raise the pH of water and also cause problems to fish.

If you soak the charcoal wood for a month or so, and replace the water every couple of days, it should be ok after that.

 

[mark4785]

Is the driftwood burnt?
Charcoal is caustic and can raise the pH of water and also cause problems to fish.

If you soak the charcoal wood for a month or so, and replace the water every couple of days, it should be ok after that.

No none of them are burn’t. Theres clearly some difference as the large piece dries a lot quicker. Other than that and the theory that the right-side piece has toxins in it which i cant test for, I really am stumped (no pun intended) as to why this ‘ aquarium‘ bog wood is deadly when placed in an aquarium.

 

[Colin_T]

It might have been contaminated by something. Wood is generally sprayed for bugs when it is imported from overseas and this could cause problems. It might have been sprayed with bug spray or roach powder at the shop. If it was found in a field it might have herbicide or pesticide residue on it.

 

[Foxywoxy]

Hi! My first thought on reading your thread was, why not boil it? Time-tested method of sterilising and cleaning anything. Then I found this article.

How to Find & Prepare Driftwood for Your Aquarium: 5 Crucial Vet-Approved Steps | Hepper

Driftwood needs preparing before adding it to your aquarium, or you can potentially harm your fish. Follow our how to guide to add it safely.

www.itsafishthing.com

I'm also thinking, the big piece of driftwood which dries quicker may be porous softwood. And the other piece which remains wet may be dense hardwood, suitable for aquariums.

Also, I live in tropical Asia. A lot of Asian rivers and coastal waters are disgustingly heavily polluted, with high levels of toxic chemicals and effluent. I would expect the same background for African Driftwood.

I think your piece of fine-looking driftwood can be salvaged.

 

[Byron]

Hi! My first thought on reading your thread was, why not boil it? Time-tested method of sterilising and cleaning anything. Then I found this article.

How to Find & Prepare Driftwood for Your Aquarium: 5 Crucial Vet-Approved Steps | Hepper

Driftwood needs preparing before adding it to your aquarium, or you can potentially harm your fish. Follow our how to guide to add it safely.

www.itsafishthing.com

I'm also thinking, the big piece of driftwood which dries quicker may be porous softwood. And the other piece which remains wet may be dense hardwood, suitable for aquariums.

Also, I live in tropical Asia. A lot of Asian rivers and coastal waters are disgustingly heavily polluted, with high levels of toxic chemicals and effluent. I would expect the same background for African Driftwood.

I think your piece of fine-looking driftwood can be salvaged.

This linked article is very good, thanks for posting this. This issue of safe wood comes up a lot on the forum, so I am going to do a separate thread with a link to this article so more members will see it.

Thanks again, and welcome to TFF.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

I would rather pick my collect my own,rather than buy wood.I would only collect it from a clean river though.
Look for wood that it stuck into the river bed as it will have been in the river long enough.intuition plays a big part and if there’s the slightest of doubt,leave it.
Oaks drop their branches more than most and the old saying is never to pitch a tent under an oak tree,so if there’s oak trees in the area then you can be sure that’s mostly what will be found in the river.
Bog wood is risky,bogs are peaty and that’s a ph crash waiting to happen.