# Kill a bonsai for the greater good?



## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

So I'm always on the lookout for a perfect piece of wood to make a really nice scape with a tree, but I never seem to find what I'm looking for. I want the wood to have alot of texture, and character. I want to see a root system that is visible just above the substate. I want branches. Basicly I want a tree that looks like a perfect miniature tree, and not just a stick in the dirt with some moss stuck to it. I haven't been able to find anything like this yet, but I was just thinking that a bonsai is exacty what I need. So what I'm wondering is if any common bonsai are made from a hardwood that would be ok as driftwood. Thinking I could get a cheap low quality bonsai, take it out of the pot, clip all the leaves off and let it die and dry out. I have no idea if this is ok, how long it would take to dry out and be safe, or if any common bonsai would make aquarium safe wood. But I bet someone here has the answers I seek:biggrin:

BTW, I apologise to all the bonsai lovers for what I may potentially do to a tree. I was looking at a thread on bonsai and someone mentioned not buying the ones at Lowe's and HD, and that they might already be dead, but they could still find a purpose in this. Think of it as the bonsai afterlife.


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## jwm5 (May 9, 2010)

to get a large/full bonsai with a great shape I would think it would be very expensive, compared to some hard searching for some driftwood. I am sure you could find driftwood that would suit what you want for cheaper and less time than killing and drying a nice bonsai. In my experience bonsai are like $20 for little twigs, beautiful full shapes are much more money.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

sob sob sob :'( :'( your making me tear up!! <--- haha 

i agree with jwm5, if you go to HD or lowes, your only gonna get a stick-in-pot... not something with character you are looking for. trees with nice character, like you are talking, can be VERY expensive. expensive enough that it would break even omeone non-attached to kill it.

on a side note... i just had a bonsai die, for unknown reasons ( sob sob.. im still sad about this one) i thought that this would be a good way to do one of those tree scapes, just like you. funny how two people can have the same idea around the same time


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

It doesn't need to be large really. It is intended for a ten gallon tank. I might even do something smaller so if it's at least 6-8 inches tall I would be fine with it. I'll just put it at the top off a slope to put it near the top if I need to. As for pricing, I thought I saw prices around $20-25 for the size I need at Home Depot before. But I could easily be wrong. It's been a while and I was just browsing. I didn't pay much attention to prices because I had no intention of getting one at the time. I guess I should look around to see if pricing makes this a possibility.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

if you get it from home depot, it will likely be about the diameter of a dime.... not very characteristic it will just look like a twig stuck in your substrate. not to mention the dire lack of nebari ( nice surface roots )


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

I guess I have to learn about bonsai, get a tree, spend 5-10 years working with it, and then kill it. This better be one hell of a scape when it's done.:confused1:


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

lol


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

Try asking on freeads, must be a someone with an already dead tree out there lol.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

I'll take a look at freeads. Never heard of it before, but I was just thinking of trying craigslist.


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## drlower (Dec 14, 2010)

post an add....wanted ..dead tree.


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## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

lol, drlower beat me to it.

I was going to say...join a bonsai forum and start requesting people send you their dead trunks. :hihi:


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## DrLav (Dec 20, 2010)

I think most of the bonsai at HD etc.. are just juniper bushes pruned to look like trees. I imagine the branches would be toxic to your fish, even dried out.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

You might be laughing, but I think that could be a great idea. I'll start a business selling dead bonsai to the planted tank community. Buy from bonsai forum, sell to PT forum. Easy money. But I need to know what trees to buy...hmmmmmm.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

DrLav said:


> I think most of the bonsai at HD etc.. are just juniper bushes pruned to look like trees. I imagine the branches would be toxic to your fish, even dried out.


I'll definately stay away from those then.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

actually, on a bonsai forum i frequent, just the other day someone was asking for dead bonsai for some project lol!

id offer you mine, but i was thinking of the same thing. if i dont end up trying that, ill let you know, in case your still looking


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

Yeah orchidman. If you decide not too, I might be interested. I bet you would do a better job than me though. I'm still trying to get things in my tanks to look good. What kind of bonsai do you have? Any pics?


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Im not sure it would be any better in my tank. I'm kinda new to the planted tank scene. I just post alot. If you look at the journal
In my siggy, you'll know what I mean. I only have one right now. 

It's a ficus macrocarpa 'green island' I have others but this is the only one that's dead. I'll get pics later. Im on my iPod touch and it will be difficult. But I'll try to find a link later. 


You can call me Bob


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## VaultBoy (Nov 11, 2010)

I have one if you want to come get it LOL might be a bit of a trek though.

Mine is english box about 6 - 7 inches tall i killed by accident last summer and kept the remains with the intention of using it in a scape but its too small for any of my tanks, i even soaked it in my goldfish pond to make sure it was all ok.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

http://www.bonsaitreeforums.com/for...ocarpa-var.-green-island&highlight=macrocarpa

there are pics there...


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Loop said:


> I guess I have to learn about bonsai, get a tree, spend 5-10 years working with it, and then kill it. This better be one hell of a scape when it's done.:confused1:


I find them up around 7000ft in the mountains here.

Nature gives what it gives.

Then if you killed it, it'll take several years to cure.
You are looking at 10+ years. I find them dead already.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

AHHH!!! ALL OF YOU STOP FINDING WAYS TO CRUSH MY DREAMS!!! 


J/K, I guess this idea is just way too much trouble. I'll continue searching for wood I guess. 
" It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine " -Wayne Campbell-


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Loop said:


> AHHH!!! ALL OF YOU STOP FINDING WAYS TO CRUSH MY DREAMS!!!
> 
> 
> J/K, I guess this idea is just way too much trouble. I'll continue searching for wood I guess.
> " It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine " -Wayne Campbell-


Well, I've found some and it took much less than 10 years










Etc.


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## Franco (Jun 13, 2010)

I used a root ball from a dead mulberry bush, inverted it, and it looks like an awesome twisted tree in my ten gallon. It might look better in a 20 gallon though as it is hard to scape around.
Look for those crappy little juniper or conifer bushes that they use to cover dividers and medians in parking lots and stuff. Those would make great little bonsai look-alikes. Just boil it for a loooong time.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

so tom, you have to let wood cure for how long? you can just wait for it to dry out?


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

That's a really nice piece of wood, but it's still not what I'm thinking in my head. It doesn't look like a tree to me. It might make a good copy for an odd shaped bonsai, but I only thought to use a bonsai because some look like miniature versions of natural trees. I'm not really sure how to explain it.


Franco- Got any pics?


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## fjord (Feb 1, 2011)

*Boxwood, Holly, Japanese Maple, Crape Myrtle?*

I'd suggest you look for some older Boxwood or Holly shrubs, or perhaps dwarf varieties of Japanese Maple or Crape Myrtle. You might also look at Juniper varieties, and Azaleas. Grown out, even they can be expensive, especially the Boxwood and Japanese Maple varieties. The advantage is they can look "tree-like". Some ideas that come to mind are to contact a nursery. All nursery's seem to get old stock that won't sell, some of which weakens and dies. Oftentimes it takes on character that is not evident in juvenile stock. Occasionally nursery's do landscaping and upgrading for clients, and old stock that is overgrown is removed and replaced with new stock. If available, the discarded old stock might be of interest. Be careful of diseased stock. No telling what you might introduce to your tank, and also beware of stock that has been sprayed or treated with herbicides or insecticides. Just passing along ideas. Good luck.


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## J-P (Oct 17, 2010)

OMG thank you!! I have a dead one hanging around that I never threw out. Now I know what to do with it!


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

I couldn't remember where i saw this thread. I found a place that might be of help through another planted scape forum.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/bonsaiwood.html

They have a lot of interesting stuff on that site.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

J-P said:


> OMG thank you!! I have a dead one hanging around that I never threw out. Now I know what to do with it!


Cool. Try it out and post it. Even if I don't get around to it, I would love to see someone else try. I think it has the potential to look great with the right tree in capable hands.roud:



swoof said:


> I couldn't remember where i saw this thread. I found a place that might be of help through another planted scape forum.
> 
> http://www.save-on-crafts.com/bonsaiwood.html
> 
> They have a lot of interesting stuff on that site.


I've seen this site before while looking for manzanita. Pretty reasonable prices on stuff it seems. But I never noticed what you posted. That would make an awesome tree too. Probably would need to even trim the branches a little shorter even, otherwise you would block out the light in half the tank. Quick, someone try this out. I want to, but I need to be tearing down tanks right now, not starting new ones.(I'm moving soon)


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## warhead_71 (Mar 7, 2011)

grapevine


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

warhead_71 said:


> grapevine


rots quickly in tank.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

Are you saying that the wood in that link is grapevine?


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## warhead_71 (Mar 7, 2011)

I have used grapevine before and had no problem with it rotting. Had it in a tank for 3-4 years. I think it was heat-treated though... it had a toasty complexion. I've heard of people putting it in the oven at 300deg for several minutes to dry it out. Took a long time to get it to sink.


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## Ramirezi (Feb 13, 2006)

I got so good at killing my bonsai trees that I recieved the club trophy this year 
for the best dead bonsai tree(s). I never thought of putting them in my tank I think that they all went in the compost pile last fall.


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

You should try it next time you have a dead one. I was thinking even if it is a softer wood that would rot, maybe just seal it with something first like someone here did with the log they put in their tank.


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## Ramirezi (Feb 13, 2006)

I found it! Is this what you are trying to create?
Check out this fish tank....

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascape-month/1182-aquascape-month-september-2008-pinheiro-manso.html


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

Yeah for the size you want/need it would cost an arm and a leg to get one just to kill it. Why not look into having a resin one made perfectly the way you want it?


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

Ramirezi said:


> I found it! Is this what you are trying to create?
> Check out this fish tank....
> 
> http://www.aquascapingworld.com/for...cape-month-september-2008-pinheiro-manso.html


That second scape with the tree on the right is one of my favorites actually. I saw that one a while back and it is part of the reason that I've been looking for the wood for a tree.



GDP said:


> Yeah for the size you want/need it would cost an arm and a leg to get one just to kill it. Why not look into having a resin one made perfectly the way you want it?


Wouldn't it be expensive to have something made too. I have thought about trying to make one myself, like some people have done before with backgrounds and fake tree stumps using spray foam. I just don't think I'll do a very good job cause I'm not good at creating that kind of artsy stuff. I might give it a try one day when I'm bored though.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I'd consider getting manzanita and cutting and screwing pieces together as you see fit. You can hid the screws on the back, moss, etc. I did that in my 75g journal to get what I wanted. 

We're talking a hundred plus bucks for a decent bonsai... to kill...

Scrap manzy would do what you want.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

well, i have a dead one ;( is there anything i can do to make it tank safe?


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

orchidman said:


> well, i have a dead one ;( is there anything i can do to make it tank safe?


I was thinking maybe what was done here
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/aquascaping/127131-my-log.html

Just coat and seal the whole thing and I thought it would be fine. Worked for that big log.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

says they used 2 coats of clear epoxy.


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