Is grape vine driftwood safe in aquariums with guppies?

[landonjacob]

I found this “grape vine” sandblasted driftwood at a random pet store I visited today. They told me it works great and is safe in aquariums. That it will develop a film for a few weeks, but it goes away.. and that it would take a few weeks to sink most likely. But I’m reading mixed reviews online about it being “reptile wood” that’s not safe for fish..? It’s the perfect fit for my 40 gallon breeder I’m setting up in a few weeks. I just got it soaking today. My main priorities are my fishes safety. I’m breeding full red albino guppies and want to make sure the wood will not kill my breeding project. Has anyone else used grape vine driftwood with guppies or other fish without issues longterm? Or should I return it. For $50 and the guy at the saying it’s completely safe, I couldn’t pass it up. Online would cost me $150 easily. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[CassCats]

It's safe, it just will "rot" very quickly compared to other woods. It behaves more like softwoods do, so it'll break down a lot faster in water.

 

[landonjacob]

It's safe, it just will "rot" very quickly compared to other woods. It behaves more like softwoods do, so it'll break down a lot faster in water.

Even with decent sized pieces like I have? Surely this sized piece would last a year or two wouldn’t you think? And the film that covers most driftwood’s after being submerged will also go away with the grape Vmvine wood and none of that would be harmful to my guppies, for SURE?

 

[CassCats]

The film that covers it is biofilm, all wood produce it and it is usually temporary and harmless. In fact many fish like to eat it.

You should get at least a year out of the wood, but yes, it will eventually disintegrate over time, faster than other wood varieties.

 

[landonjacob]

Thank you for the replies guys. It was such the perfect piece for the look I was going for. Now I’m cautious about using it. But thank for concerning it is %100 safe for the fish. If anyone has had a bad experience with losing fish with this wood please let me know. Thanks again everyone!

 

[landonjacob]

The film that covers it is biofilm, all wood produce it and it is usually temporary and harmless. In fact many fish like to eat it.

You should get at least a year out of the wood, but yes, it will eventually disintegrate over time, faster than other wood varieties.

And the wood in general is completely safe for aquarium use and will not harm my fish or release anything nasty into the aquarium. I do frequent at least weekly water changes. When it starts to decompose will that process hurt my water quality?

 

[CassCats]

Not really, just may make a mess. It's not recommended to use grapevine for that reason, but it's not really harmful at all. Most report a lot of biofilm on it longterm, but that's good grazing for guppies lol

The only way it's harmful is if it's ever been sprayed with pesticides or chemicals. If it's a piece safe for reptiles, though, it's likely never been sprayed.

 

[Archerfish]

It will probably work but $50 dollars?! It might release tannins. Why not get an artificial branchy log for that price that will last for years?

 

[landonjacob]

Thank you for the replies everyone. I ended up selling that piece and ordering myself two large pieces of manzanita driftwood instead! Should be a lot cleaner and safer for the guppies, wouldn’t you think?