Can you use normal tree wood in tanks? If you can how would you go about it? Roast it in the oven to dry it out then soak in boiling water? And for a planted tank (Not many plants maybe 5 or 6) what substrate should be used?

Does anyone have any links to decent priced black sand?

Thanks.

Pets at home have some black sand at £11.99 for 8kg

Thanks

Anyone know about the wood?

Yeah the pets at home stuff is ace. Virtually none floats, and it doesnt need washing either, because its so dense.

As for the wood, to be honest, its just not worth the risk. So many species have absorbed heavy metals, chemical herbicides etc. through their lives that can leach out, and only certain woods are appropriate:

Oak, Beech, Chestnut for example.

Needs to be stripped of bark, and soaked, and soaked, and soaked

or use 'real' bog wood from your local pond, once again soaked and scrubbed.

Best to just buy bog tbh.

Ok... anyone know where i can get large pieces of bogwood cheap >.> It just seems so expensive

This post has been edited by Cooper2085: Mar 31 2008, 02:52 PM

Dont know if its any help, I got a very large knarly bit of bog wood and it was shaped so in an arch so the fish could go underneath it from Pets at Home and it only cost £5.59. It weighed 1.7k. I was down there on monday and they still had some although not quite as large as I got (they had a new delivery when I got mine)

Soaked it for 2 days changing the water frequently and its brilliant my fish love it.