Pine wood

[Fishfinder1973]

I have a new tank coming within the next Couple of months and I was thinking of a Forrest scape.I’m refusing to buy driftwood as it’s far too expensive.I was planning on placing pine wood vertically,to watch the fish weaving in and out as they swim along.
We have oak,pine,beech,chestnut,among others,but I need wood that will be relatively straight and with plenty of small branches that I can cut off in order to create the right look.
The question is,how will I know if the wood is safe,as I know pine will contain a lot of resin.I have a river not far from me that is lined with pine trees,and I was thinking of looking for the wood at the highest tide mark where it will hopefully been open to the elements fir a while.
Any tips/advice would be much appreciated thanks.

 

[Artur]

So, first of all I would not use any "conifers" wood. Use deciduous trees wood/fruit trees wood.
Secondly - don't use branches/wood which was submerged under water. It can contain many microorganisms which may be harmful to your fish etc.
Lastly, but I think most importantly - cook it.

I put the wood in big metal container, fill it with water and boil it for at least a hour.
It gets rid of every harmful living thing there might be in it, and it submerges quicker after this procedure.

Don't use walnut wood though - it's toxic.

Oak would be the perfect choice I think.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

So, first of all I would not use any "conifers" wood. Use deciduous trees wood/fruit trees wood.
Secondly - don't use branches/wood which was submerged under water. It can contain many microorganisms which may be harmful to your fish etc.
Lastly, but I think most importantly - cook it.

I put the wood in big metal container, fill it with water and boil it for at least a hour.
It gets rid of every harmful living thing there might be in it, and it submerges quicker after this procedure.

Don't use walnut wood though - it's toxic.

Oak would be the perfect choice I think.

Cheers Arthur.I know,pine is risky,but oak is too twisty and I need the wood to be straight.
I will keep looking.

 

[GaryE]

Pine can be fatal with the resins in a closed system like a tank. We all have different trees depending on where we are, but I've used maple branches to be fake roots in Discus and angel tanks. I avoid pine.
When I want branches, I head to where the wild trees are and basically pick them up. All bark comes off, I soak them and they go to work. I avoid stream and river wood unless I know the water source is pristine, and there's not a lot of that about. I don't worry about micro-organisms. The fish eat them, and if it's not micro, a dragonfly larvae for example, I can catch them before they catch the fish. I do as much live food collecting as I can.
I've never had access to a pot big enough to boil wood, so I have never done that. It would accelerate sinking, for sure.

You can't get the look you want with Vallisneria americana, and a few straight hardwood branches?

I'm trying to imagine the tank, and I'm guessing you want fairly thick pieces. Out my Canadian window here I see beautiful straight branches on a maple you'd need the climbing skills of a small ape to get to, but they are there. All you need is a Scottish-Canadian maple immigrant, or a really good rowboat.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

Pine can be fatal with the resins in a closed system like a tank. We all have different trees depending on where we are, but I've used maple branches to be fake roots in Discus and angel tanks. I avoid pine.
When I want branches, I head to where the wild trees are and basically pick them up. All bark comes off, I soak them and they go to work. I avoid stream and river wood unless I know the water source is pristine, and there's not a lot of that about. I don't worry about micro-organisms. The fish eat them, and if it's not micro, a dragonfly larvae for example, I can catch them before they catch the fish. I do as much live food collecting as I can.
I've never had access to a pot big enough to boil wood, so I have never done that. It would accelerate sinking, for sure.

You can't get the look you want with Vallisneria americana, and a few straight hardwood branches?

I'm trying to imagine the tank, and I'm guessing you want fairly thick pieces. Out my Canadian window here I see beautiful straight branches on a maple you'd need the climbing skills of a small ape to get to, but they are there. All you need is a Scottish-Canadian maple immigrant, or a really good rowboat.

Hahaha,or a private jet.
Ok I’m seriously thinking of beech as there’s plenty over here.Pity chestnut isn’t good,as they are very common.
I was thinking of branches about 4-5 inches thick.There’s a scape on utube that is close to the look I’m thinking of.I will see if I can load it up.
Cheers for the reply GaryE.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

 

[GaryE]

That would be a tank to sit in front of.

If you put that much pine though, I think you'd have a disaster. But I notice those aren't really straight pieces - they have the shapes of tree trunks. You could loose some Peckoltia sp wood eating catfish to polish a few of them up - I used to do that with maple.

I like the use of perspective. A lot of people would put the thick pieces at the back, but the depth illusion with thin farther back is smart. I may make a tank like that and then claim I thought the idea up....

This a real cheat, but all you would need is facing surfaces. Depending on how deep the tank would be, you could almost split hardwood firewood logs and place the pieces with the smooth sides out. The backs would easily pick up aquatic mosses, if you wanted that look in a V on the sides to draw the eye to the centre.

I've always felt we're like Corys moving along the floor, and birds are like shoaling fish. You could really develop that. Wow.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

That would be a tank to sit in front of.

If you put that much pine though, I think you'd have a disaster. But I notice those aren't really straight pieces - they have the shapes of tree trunks. You could loose some Peckoltia sp wood eating catfish to polish a few of them up - I used to do that with maple.

I like the use of perspective. A lot of people would put the thick pieces at the back, but the depth illusion with thin farther back is smart. I may make a tank like that and then claim I thought the idea up....

This a real cheat, but all you would need is facing surfaces. Depending on how deep the tank would be, you could almost split hardwood firewood logs and place the pieces with the smooth sides out. The backs would easily pick up aquatic mosses, if you wanted that look in a V on the sides to draw the eye to the centre.

I've always felt we're like Corys moving along the floor, and birds are like shoaling fish. You could really develop that. Wow.

Your right about the depth illusion Gary,with the smaller sticks to the back.The same thing could be achieved by putting smaller plants to the back and I’ve often wondered why they always say big plants at the back.Obviously bigger at the front would block the view,but not if well trimmed.

So I have chestnut,beech,oak and what could be sycamore near me and I’ve seen some nice dead branches dotted around that are relatively straight,and of the correct diameter.I will take a saw with me tomorrow to cut them to length.I will purchase a big tub for steeping them in for a few weeks.
The new tank is exactly the same as the one I have,but with opti-white glass and 109g.
I’m determined not to rush the scape,as the tank I have just now was rushed and even after changing the scape loads of times,it was never where I wanted it to be.
I will move this over to the journal and build section tomorrow,but for now,I’m watching the world darts championship.The commentator is John part,a Canadian incidentally.

 

[Slaphppy7]

What Types of Wood are Safe for Aquariums? -

As an aquarium hobbyist, you likely have some type of wood in your tank. Wood in aquariums not only adds a unique aesthetic element but it’s also functional as well. Wood provides a hiding place for fish as well as an area to spawn or lay eggs. But what types of wood are safe aquariums? […]

aquariumsathome.com

 

[GaryE]

In 6 weeks I move to a new house surrounded by grey birches and alders, both of which seem good for tank use based on the info @Slaphppy7 generously provided. I'll get some into a tub come Spring, and really go to town on the aquascaping.

Thank you @Fishfinder1973 for the idea. I umm, have 70 aquariums of various sizes sitting in a currently unheated garage, and as I pick and choose which ones I install as my reno advances (I am creating a 12 foot wide, 30 foot long room to fill with fish, plants and an office/workspace) . Once I get the heating system installed and the dividing walls up, I see 'steeping' branches in my near future.
I broke 2 tanks moving them (it's a 10 hour one way drive) and one a newish 55g/210L, would have been ideal for this project. That's the way the glass crumbles.