# Ghostwood



## PK1 (Oct 30, 2005)

Has anyone used Ghostwood in their tanks with success or do you know whether it is suitable for a fish tank? I have found some nice pieces but they are advertised as terrarium wood. I did a search on this topic but it seems most had questions than answers, so I thought I'd ask again!


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## Plakatz (Oct 25, 2014)

*ghost wood*

I have no idea what it is, first you would have to know hows its made or what its made of. Second, how or what its treated with. (Some use bleach or worse) The vendor or manufactorer shoyld/well tell you. I sell ots of wood for terreriums, same exact woods I sell for aquariums. Organic, hardwood, untreated.


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## Plakatz (Oct 25, 2014)

*peak*

Took a quick peek. Looks good, like sandblsted driftwood. Id contact the company.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Quote: (Some use bleach or worse) 

Just for information, can you explain what it wrong with using bleach on wood?


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## Plakatz (Oct 25, 2014)

*nothing*

Nothing, if you get it all out before you add it to the tank. Even some organics are harmful ... probably any harmful products could become safe over time. Many aquarium safe products "are not responsible for fish deaths". For me. I prefer a good scrubbing and soaking in boiling water. For others??? They have their ways. Is ghostwood safe for tanks? To your knowledge? Treated with anything? Fungicides? Pestcides? Formaldihide? I see its sold for flower arrangements & mantle pcs... etc... too. Good question? Is it safe?


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## PK1 (Oct 30, 2005)

I have already sent an email asking the question, I'll post the response when I get one. This is assuming the person the question has gone to has the answer (or the correct answer...)

In one website and a few forums I had come across during my search it was advertised as terrarium decoration, so one would think (hope) the wood wasn't treated with anything, but I thought there might be a reason why this type of wood was specifically listed/discussed for terrariums but not aquariums. I was hoping someone would know.


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## 691175002 (Apr 28, 2009)

I have this stuff in my aquarium:
http://www.bloomsandbranches.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BBSBGW14

Worked fine, but it grew an insane amount of driftwood fuzz for the first few weeks. You seriously need to plan on taking it out one or two times the first month to scrub it off because it wont go away on its own.

After you clean it off once or twice the stuff stops growing and its just normal driftwood.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

I also have ghostwood from bloomsandbranches but I would *not *buy from them.. I only ordered ghostwood but then sent me a LOT of manzantia pieces instead.. I had to make a big stink to get them replaced with what I actually ordered... Past that frustration I spend a week boiling the wood in a huge tin bucket over a propane flame to reduce tannins enough that it wouldn't send my pH through the floor (and I have very ah rd water so it takes a lot to make pH flux).
After put in a heated lit, planted tank it started the dreaded fungus growth.. and its not gone away.. (been a few months) it's not gotten any worse but hasn't magically disappear like some people claim. I've been keeping otos, angelfish, rainbowfish, cherry barbs, nerite snails, and pond and mts in the tank .. no ones eating the fungus off to any noticeable decline in it but no fish are dead or showing sighs of stress or illness... I'll have to eventually pull it all out and scrub it under boiling water but I'm not in the mood to completely replant my tank after (plants are put in around wood or 'on top' of it (areas where wood is buried in sand).

*TLDR:* yes its aquarium safe, but it can take a little work:lot of boiling and scrubbing

ghostwood in tank
10/6-10:


10/15


10/20


10/31 (LARGE mts on there not a baby snail)




*Again note: *this is after many hours over many days of boiling the wood before it was put in the tank.

I'll take a photo tonight when the tank light turns on again to show how it is almost 8 weeks since put in.


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## Plakatz (Oct 25, 2014)

Great answers... looking forward to hearing reply to your Qs... the stuff looks good...


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## wildroseofky (Mar 5, 2013)

Real Ghost Wood is Antelope bitterbrush. However, many places sell other wood as Ghost Wood often Sycamore because it is a white wood which is safe for aquariums. This site has good prices too http://www.save-on-crafts.com/bonsaiwood.html. I ordered a box of 25 pieces of grape wood from Blooms and Branches and got some nice pieces for my smaller tanks.


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## PK1 (Oct 30, 2005)

wildroseofky said:


> Real Ghost Wood is Antelope bitterbrush. However, many places sell other wood as Ghost Wood often Sycamore because it is a white wood which is safe for aquariums. This site has good prices too http://www.save-on-crafts.com/bonsaiwood.html. I ordered a box of 25 pieces of grape wood from Blooms and Branches and got some nice pieces for my smaller tanks.



This is very helpful. Just a clarification though, Does this mean that the real Ghost Wood (Antelope bitterbrush) is not safe for aquariums?


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## PK1 (Oct 30, 2005)

AquaAurora said:


> I also have ghostwood from bloomsandbranches but I would *not *buy from them.. I only ordered ghostwood but then sent me a LOT of manzantia pieces instead.. I had to make a big stink to get them replaced with what I actually ordered... Past that frustration I spend a week boiling the wood in a huge tin bucket over a propane flame to reduce tannins enough that it wouldn't send my pH through the floor (and I have very ah rd water so it takes a lot to make pH flux).
> After put in a heated lit, planted tank it started the dreaded fungus growth.. and its not gone away.. (been a few months) it's not gotten any worse but hasn't magically disappear like some people claim. I've been keeping otos, angelfish, rainbowfish, cherry barbs, nerite snails, and pond and mts in the tank .. no ones eating the fungus off to any noticeable decline in it but no fish are dead or showing sighs of stress or illness... I'll have to eventually pull it all out and scrub it under boiling water but I'm not in the mood to completely replant my tank after (plants are put in around wood or 'on top' of it (areas where wood is buried in sand).
> 
> *TLDR:* yes its aquarium safe, but it can take a little work:lot of boiling and scrubbing
> ...



Man, this is nasty stuff! They have very good prices today on save-on-crafts so I ordered a few pieces, but looking at your tank I'm wondering if I should find a different use for them!! 

A number of years ago I put a big piece of driftwood in my 90 gallon (don't know what it was, it was dark brown dry) and it grew a thick fuzz after a couple of weeks. I didn't have snails but my ottos wouldn't touch it. I did the removal/scrub once or twice and it always came back, until I got a pleco: 24 hours and it was squeaky clean, literally! Not a speck of fuzz to be found on it. 

You may want to give it a try. Not sure if all plecos will eat the stuff but if you want something smaller try the bristle nose plecos. They look really cool, at least I think so.

Post the results back if you try the pleco.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Yeh its not too pretty.. update photo as promised 
11/29 


As you can see its not so puffed up.. but its also not _gone_
BTW I won't get another pleco *ever*. I kept a leopard sailfin for a while (they max out at 18 inches) by the time he was 13.5 he was clogging the canister filter daily (even when upgraded to eheim pro 3 ...whatever (the hugest [censor] eheim canister is)). I was force to put a nylon stocking over the intake which have to be removed and cleared off each day or the filter pipes clogged. Had to re-home him to someone that could handle that poop. Though bristlenose cap at about 6" I don't want another poop machine pleco. Much prefer otos though they may not eat the exact same things.


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## wildroseofky (Mar 5, 2013)

The real Ghost Wood is safe for aquariums it is just hard to find. The real Antelope Bitterbrush is safe for aquariums but is evidently in limited supply in nature. 

The stuff growing on the driftwood pictured looks like a bacterial bloom caused by excess food or waste in the tank. I had something similar in one of my tanks and it took over. Looked like snot. Disgusting. Fresh driftwood does sometimes get a whitish growth on it but it goes away in a few weeks. Fish and snails will eat that but not the bacterial stuff.


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## PK1 (Oct 30, 2005)

LMAO!! Your plec story is too funny... I thought Bristle nose plecs only got to 3-4 inches, but either way, they are all poop machines - albeit proportional to their sizes. 

Looks like the fuzz is subsiding. That's good news.


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## Finnish_AE92_Racer (Oct 5, 2014)

pk, the bristle nose does say small. he had a sailfin, different species of pleco that do get pretty large.


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## PK1 (Oct 30, 2005)

Yes, I did pick that up. My comment of 3-4" was to his reference of 6" for BN. I did look it it though and seemed he is correct, supposedly they can grow to 6-7" so I learned something!

Thanks for the clarification.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Finnish_AE92_Racer said:


> pk, the bristle nose does say small. he had a sailfin, different species of pleco that do get pretty large.


yeh i understnad they are difernt breeds and sizes.. but after a poop machine.. I don't want another member of the family.
And its *she *not he ^^


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