driftwood
- Thread starter legalseafood
- Start date
Driftwood is the wood that sits on the bottom of lakes for years and years. The wood itself is fully soaked and then dryed. Basically just petrified wood.
You cant use just wood from your back yard due to the toxic things it may have. Unless you want to soak and boil it for a year i would say no to that!
You cant use just wood from your back yard due to the toxic things it may have. Unless you want to soak and boil it for a year i would say no to that!
geKo, dont believe everything you hear.
Feel free to go out into your back yard and pick up some wood.
I do it in all my tanks and never have problems.
The only issue you MIGHT have is a slight coloration of the water (usually yellowish or brown) but not all woods do that.
Note: when you use regular wood (not driftwood) you will have to attach it to something to weigh it down. If your tank isn't established yet you may want to just silicone it to the bottom of the tank. (silicone is not harmful in any way shape or form to the fish) if your tank is already established you can use crazy glue, once again, this is not harmful at all.
Crazy glue (gel) sticks wonderfully underwater.
The ENTIRE reef community does this, and they are a poop load more concerned about their water quality than most freshwater peeps
Feel free to go out into your back yard and pick up some wood.
I do it in all my tanks and never have problems.
The only issue you MIGHT have is a slight coloration of the water (usually yellowish or brown) but not all woods do that.
Note: when you use regular wood (not driftwood) you will have to attach it to something to weigh it down. If your tank isn't established yet you may want to just silicone it to the bottom of the tank. (silicone is not harmful in any way shape or form to the fish) if your tank is already established you can use crazy glue, once again, this is not harmful at all.
Crazy glue (gel) sticks wonderfully underwater.
The ENTIRE reef community does this, and they are a poop load more concerned about their water quality than most freshwater peeps
I dont exactly think thats the best way to do things as far as drift wood goes. Its very possible that whatever you pick up in your backyard can be EXTREMELY toxic to your fish. i think geoffgarcia2 has been lucky so far. When you buy driftwood you have to soak it until its water logged ( heh ) for a long enough period reguardless. Unless you keep fish native to your ecosystem which are used to the types of wood they find in their water systems, i wouldnt use anything you just find. Its not worth the risk. Why do you think nice peices of driftwood can be so expensive anyway?
Wood.
Highly absorbant, and tend to store.
Unnatural / Chemical Toxins, Fertilizers, Pesticide, Insecticide, etc. distributed thru personal and municiple sources contaminate most inhabited areas.
Shorelines and Waterways collect and harbour emmission pollutants, fuels, cleansing agents and ....
(yawn) ... is it really worth it?
Buy yer wood.
Silicon...
Agreed, for most terms, Silicon is non harmful.
There is an epoxy putty available at most LFS that actually cures under water. Non-toxic, (riddled with chemicals tho, don't worry)
it adheres anything to anything. (No Plugs...ya gotta look it up )
Glass to rock, rock to wood, wood to glass, fish to glass... no, don't.
Apparent available SAFE for REEF and MARINE. Is it Aquarium Systems maybe, that makes it?
JOT
Exodon
MFT-CND
Highly absorbant, and tend to store.
Unnatural / Chemical Toxins, Fertilizers, Pesticide, Insecticide, etc. distributed thru personal and municiple sources contaminate most inhabited areas.
Shorelines and Waterways collect and harbour emmission pollutants, fuels, cleansing agents and ....
(yawn) ... is it really worth it?
Buy yer wood.
Silicon...
Agreed, for most terms, Silicon is non harmful.
There is an epoxy putty available at most LFS that actually cures under water. Non-toxic, (riddled with chemicals tho, don't worry)
it adheres anything to anything. (No Plugs...ya gotta look it up )
Glass to rock, rock to wood, wood to glass, fish to glass... no, don't.
Apparent available SAFE for REEF and MARINE. Is it Aquarium Systems maybe, that makes it?
JOT
Exodon
MFT-CND
What a bunch of crap. Driftwood was termed after the collection of wood from driftlands such as Florida, or any area that has excess water and wood.
Now, driftwood refers to almost any type wood that is free of its bark. You do not want to place a piece of Oak in your aquarium that has its bark intact. True driftwood has lost its bark from being submerged in water for a long period of time.
Essentially, driftwood is older wood. I collected all of mine from my dad. He works out in the fields and drags a bunch of pieces home for firewood. He has no idea of the potential value, but I do. I collect it and use it in my own tanks, without boiling I might add. I soak it for a month and then place it in my tank. My fish are very happy that it is there! However, I do use a few capfuls of bleach so that the bad organisms that may be present die before I place the driftwood in my tank.
Now, driftwood refers to almost any type wood that is free of its bark. You do not want to place a piece of Oak in your aquarium that has its bark intact. True driftwood has lost its bark from being submerged in water for a long period of time.
Essentially, driftwood is older wood. I collected all of mine from my dad. He works out in the fields and drags a bunch of pieces home for firewood. He has no idea of the potential value, but I do. I collect it and use it in my own tanks, without boiling I might add. I soak it for a month and then place it in my tank. My fish are very happy that it is there! However, I do use a few capfuls of bleach so that the bad organisms that may be present die before I place the driftwood in my tank.
Even the driftwood that you buy from your LFS (If dry) will leach out tannins and turn your water brown. So it should also be boiled and soaked. I am going out to the beach to pick up some drifwood for my tank, I think it should be fine. The wood in your yard is mostlikely fine for use in the tank as long as you clean it well it will be the same stuff you get in the LFS, except you have to attact it to an anchor or something to keep it from floating.
Avalon
I have seen Oscars live with guppies.
So I suppose anything is possible.
The fact that you took wood from the bush and put it in yer tank and the fish didnt die, does in no manner mean that yer neighbor can have the same luck as you. Thus, we use caution when offering advice because we don't know who and where we are talking to.
I took a painted model and put it in a 90 gallon with 112 Neon Tetras and watched the blue-green algae consume the tank. The model was the Titanic, broken in half, authentic looking. It was kewl, and lost no neons. Lost one plec.
It stayed that way for 4 months and I cleaned it. My point, stuff we do, we take risk at based on our experience. Not everyone should do, what they read.
Hope I didnt offend anyone.
Exodon
I have seen Oscars live with guppies.
So I suppose anything is possible.
The fact that you took wood from the bush and put it in yer tank and the fish didnt die, does in no manner mean that yer neighbor can have the same luck as you. Thus, we use caution when offering advice because we don't know who and where we are talking to.
I took a painted model and put it in a 90 gallon with 112 Neon Tetras and watched the blue-green algae consume the tank. The model was the Titanic, broken in half, authentic looking. It was kewl, and lost no neons. Lost one plec.
It stayed that way for 4 months and I cleaned it. My point, stuff we do, we take risk at based on our experience. Not everyone should do, what they read.Hope I didnt offend anyone.
Exodon
Exodon, you put a painted model in your tank? Don't most model paints still contain small amounts of lead? You put that in your tank?
And people use crazy glue? There's toxic stuff in that as well. Certainly perhaps if you used a very small amount, it might get diluted out by the volume of your tank. But if you've ever smelled the suff...that smell is what leeches into the water and can certainly do some damage.
Same with silicon, which is why it is usualy recommended to let it cure for at least a week, then to do a rinse first before you add the volume of water you will use with the fish.
Can't be over-cautious when it comes to your tank.
That's why in the matter of driftwood, I personally perfer to get my own rather than pay outragious prices for someone else to do for me what I can do myself. Fortunately I live near plenty of beaches, so I get my wood already de-barked, leeched, baked, and worn naturally into unusual shapes. The only thing I really do is soak it in water for a week (hot water poured over the wood changed daily) to simply get rid of salt build up.
If you live near forested areas, use dead dried wood, not fresh green sticks. Sap and tannis may cause your tank to become acidic, which will indeed kill your fish if not regularly flushed from the environment.
Be selective where you collect, pesticides are a concern, as well as exhaust fumes from traffic, industural discharge and waste, road-run off, and anything else humans can do to pollute the environment. If you wouldn't eat it, don't put it in your tank.
If anybody wants a really good read, might I recommend -From the Forest to the Sea: The Ecology of Wood in Streams, Rivers, Estuaries, and Oceans- by Chris Maser and James R. Sedell (St. Lucie Press 1994). One of the best books I have ever read myself, help with the research project I was doing on the effects of dams on the Susquahna River on drift-wood accumulation, and what effect the removal of said wood (usually hauled out and turned to firewood) might do to the ecology of our oceans.
~~Cole
And people use crazy glue? There's toxic stuff in that as well. Certainly perhaps if you used a very small amount, it might get diluted out by the volume of your tank. But if you've ever smelled the suff...that smell is what leeches into the water and can certainly do some damage.
Same with silicon, which is why it is usualy recommended to let it cure for at least a week, then to do a rinse first before you add the volume of water you will use with the fish.
Can't be over-cautious when it comes to your tank.
That's why in the matter of driftwood, I personally perfer to get my own rather than pay outragious prices for someone else to do for me what I can do myself. Fortunately I live near plenty of beaches, so I get my wood already de-barked, leeched, baked, and worn naturally into unusual shapes. The only thing I really do is soak it in water for a week (hot water poured over the wood changed daily) to simply get rid of salt build up.
If you live near forested areas, use dead dried wood, not fresh green sticks. Sap and tannis may cause your tank to become acidic, which will indeed kill your fish if not regularly flushed from the environment.
Be selective where you collect, pesticides are a concern, as well as exhaust fumes from traffic, industural discharge and waste, road-run off, and anything else humans can do to pollute the environment. If you wouldn't eat it, don't put it in your tank.
If anybody wants a really good read, might I recommend -From the Forest to the Sea: The Ecology of Wood in Streams, Rivers, Estuaries, and Oceans- by Chris Maser and James R. Sedell (St. Lucie Press 1994). One of the best books I have ever read myself, help with the research project I was doing on the effects of dams on the Susquahna River on drift-wood accumulation, and what effect the removal of said wood (usually hauled out and turned to firewood) might do to the ecology of our oceans.
~~Cole
Good advice Colesea.
The titanic was an experiment when I was early in the hobby.
I certainly don't recommend this to hobbists as putting models in any tank with fish can cause real trouble.
"If you would'nt eat it... don't put it in yer tank."
Heh. That could sure open a can of worms couldn't it. ( I know what you mean tho.)
Exodon
The titanic was an experiment when I was early in the hobby.
I certainly don't recommend this to hobbists as putting models in any tank with fish can cause real trouble.
"If you would'nt eat it... don't put it in yer tank."
Heh. That could sure open a can of worms couldn't it. ( I know what you mean tho.)
Exodon
