# Wood/branches for the aquarium?



## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Any old and dried oak or most other hard woods will work. Power washing is a good idea, along with a good long soak. If you cant find any near you, check in the Swap and Shop section of the forum. Many people sell oak driftwood and manzanita.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Collect it and boil it. Sappy pines are about the only ones that are not very good.


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Thanks guys. I know to stay away from pine/cedar, I'll go for oak!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

FrogFarm said:


> Thanks guys. I know to stay away from pine/cedar, I'll go for oak!


Some cedar species would work fine. And, virtually any wood that has seasoned, so there is no green wood, no sap, very little moisture content, will work fine. Wood is pretty much inert once seasoned.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Hoppy said:


> Some cedar species would work fine. And, virtually any wood that has seasoned, so there is no green wood, no sap, very little moisture content, will work fine. Wood is pretty much inert once seasoned.


True, Tom Barrs big tank has a piece of cedar as the centerpiece. Obviously seasoned.


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## snafuspyramid (May 27, 2010)

I've used ocean driftwood. It makes some very interesting pieces. Soak it for a few weeks, then run it through the dishwasher, to get the salt out. If it survives that, it should be fine for your tank. It will float at first though, but so will most wood.


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! 

So, I have a bunch of driftwood (I think it is Cottonwood) that my mom got from the river, it's all sun-bleached and dried out, practically white but it is hard as rock. She soaked for a few days when she first got it and scrubbed it with disinfectant alcohol. They've been sitting in her house for a while so I brought some home to soak.

I soaked it in boiling water last night and it's been sitting in the same water since.
Hasn't leeched much color at all, but I am gonna let it soak a while yet.
If I wash it in hot water again/soak it, do I need to bake it & then soak it again or do you think it will be good?

Also, rocks. I have some petrified cottonwood, some Jade and some random smooth river-stone I would love to put in. They've been soaked twice already and are soaking now, not leeching much at all.

Are these rocks okay to put in there too?
Thanks again!


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Petrified wood is fine in an aquarium. 
Jade is good, too. 
Both are inert. 

To prove this test the GH, KH, pH and TDS of the water they are soaking in. If it has not changed, then these are good to go!

If any rocks come from near a road I would be very careful to wash in hot soapy water to get rid of any petroleum products on them, or possible pesticides. 

Rocks from a known safe garden or other location with no pesticides I just rinse off the dirt and add them to the tank. 

Rocks or wood from a wet location (river, pond) might carry some disease or parasite to the fish, so these will be cleaned much better. 

Try the cottonwood (Poplar sp). I would think it will rot in the tank really fast, or else never sink. It is a very light wood. Not toxic, though. I have a dried chunk, not in a tank, and it is very light.


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## Delco1 (Aug 7, 2010)

*plant wood*



FrogFarm said:


> Hey everyone, I want to get some wood to put in my (freshwater) aquarium,


I have cut wild trees from my sub-urban chain link fence line. Mulberry trees about 1" in diameter, about a foot long, dried for about a year then submersed, yea a year, then after a month it will sink. So basically if you find a tree in your backyard fence you could use that, dry it, then wet it to sink it and that is great. Unless it was sprayed by pesticides during its entire lifetime.


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## Splendid Splendens (Dec 22, 2010)

Sweet, thanks for all the info guys! I have a thick piece of willow I am going to try.


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