Harmful types of wood?

[The Big Sleep]

Hi all-

In an effort to make my new tank more unique, natural & visually appealing I'm planning to spend this weekend combing the woods near my house for interesting pieces of wood. I've done some research about it, and think I have a pretty firm grip on how the process works.

-Dead, dried, bark-less wood
-No rotten or soft/"mulchy" areas on the wood itself
-Scrubbed & boiled in salt water solution for an hour or two (I've seen other methods but this is probably the route I'll take)
-Submerged/quarantined for a few weeks to ensure safety

Being a native of New England (specifically Western Massachusetts), I'm wondering if there's any types of wood found in this area that are strictly unsafe/toxic for aquarium use? I've seen a list of acceptable woods such as oak, maple, etc which is what I'll try to collect, but I'm no wood identification expert and don't want to inadvertently pick up something harmful.

 

[Mike Wise]

Stay away from conifers (pines, firs, spruce, yews, etc.). These tend to have highly resinous wood that can be toxic to fish. Deciduous hardwood species are better than softwood species. For really root-like gnarly wood, I like sagebrush but I don't think I've ever seen it in 'your neck of the woods'. For those wanting to try sagebrush, you need to know that it is resinous and really soft. It takes a LOT of prep-work to flush the resins and remove the softer parts of the branches.

 

[edwliang]

Stay away from conifers (pines, firs, spruce, yews, etc.). These tend to have highly resinous wood that can be toxic to fish. Deciduous hardwood species are better than softwood species. For really root-like gnarly wood, I like sagebrush but I don't think I've ever seen it in 'your neck of the woods'. For those wanting to try sagebrush, you need to know that it is resinous and really soft. It takes a LOT of prep-work to flush the resins and remove the softer parts of the branches.

if purchase from aquatic store, how will i know what species are their drift woods originated from

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Scrubbed & boiled in salt water solution for an hour or two (I've seen other methods but this is probably the route I'll take) - Submerged/quarantined for a few weeks to ensure safety

You honestly don't need boil or scrub the wood, and I'd definitely keep it away from salt water, bleach etc., they are much more damaging than anything it will contain naturally. You just need to soak the wood until it sinks if you collected it dry, and if you got it from a stream sand bar etc, just give it a good wash with a hose.

Oak (Quercus spp.) are usually fairly good, Alder (Alnus) is another rot resistant wood. The most rot resistant wood is the heart wood of roots, so if you can find wind thrown trees etc they are often a good source of wood.

if purchase from aquatic store, how will i know what species are their drift woods originated from

I've been told that "Sumatra Wood" etc,. is mainly Dipterocarp roots (or possibly from Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations?), but I don't think you will ever really know. Again I also don't think it really matter, only the harder heart wood will be left after any length of time in the water.

I've got some bits of very hard heart wood, that I think are Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and some other bits that are possibly Yew (Taxus baccata), which would have been unsuitable when they were still resinous, but are now OK to use.
cheers Darrel

 

[gerald]

Redcedar (Juniper) is another one you wouldn't want to use if too fresh, but they're rot-resistant so you can often find really old dead ones in the woods, and the stumps/roots have nice gnarly shapes. I soak them in my rain barrel for weeks or months or whatever it takes for them to sink.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Juniper) is another one you wouldn't want to use if too fresh, but they're rot-resistant so you can often find really old dead ones in the woods, and the stumps/roots have nice gnarly shapes

There are some fantastic bits of dead Juniper (Juniperus communis) on MOD Porton Down ranges in the UK. Unfortunately it was where the UK tested its biological weapons and you are not allowed to take anything from the site, or visit without a permit, being vetted, signing the official secret act etc.

cheers Darrel

 

[Microlepomis]

I've been using red, black and white oak for my whole life. I own woods that I look for good pieces in. I typically find large branches that have fallen or dead branches that are still attached. They lose their bark and begin to be weathered within a couple of years. I When they've fallen I only take the pieces that are elevated from the forest floor. Branches are seldom flat, so some portion of them is elevated. I find lots of interesting grain patterns and knots etc. They don't sink like Malaysian wood, so I use slate from my creek that I drill with a masonry bit and attach with a stainless steel screw to weigh them down. I scrub them off for prep, but that's about it. You can soak them to remove tannins if you prefer... but I love the tannins. So do my Apistos...! My well water is soft enough that the pH drops when a large piece of oak is added and because the wood gradually releases tannins, the pH is stable as long as I don't do huge water changes. I've got a pair of cacs spawning in one right now. I've had wild angels, rams and other Apistos beside the cacs spawn on oak branches. Don't use maple. It contains so much magnesium and calcium that it actually increases pH and conductivity. I hope that all helps.