Beechwood In Aquaria

[bonzo]

Ive asked this question before and was told that it should be ok but i just want to double check before i do it. Can i use beechwood that was cut by myself around 10 months ago and left to weather up untill around 6 or maybe 7 weeks and then steeped in a barrel of water up untill now, the bark has been stripped off and its around 6 maybe 7 feet long and as thick as a mans arm. Ive washed it and would love to get this in my tank but im afraid of doing harm. So can anybody tell me is it fine to use and has anybody done this just to reassure me i aint going to upset the balance in my tank.

 

[bonzo]

Is there no moderator on here that checks for unanswered questions ?

 

[Joshwainwright]

There's still time for it to be answered, so what would be the point in removing it?

 

[bonzo]

As nobody else seemed to sure iv'e just went for it and added the beech to one of my tanks. I gave it one good final wash and added it and all seems well so far, if anything goes wrong i can only blame myself. Where have all the good advice givers gone ?

 

[ian]

. Where have all the good advice givers gone ?

to be fair, it's not really a question regarding plants, this may be the reason you haven't got answers in this section. Also, it's not really a question i'm sure many people have encountered.

My take on this would be, not to add the wood. As it will probably just end up rotting in your tank.

 

[bonzo]

. Where have all the good advice givers gone ?

to be fair, it's not really a question regarding plants, this may be the reason you haven't got answers in this section. Also, it's not really a question i'm sure many people have encountered.

My take on this would be, not to add the wood. As it will probably just end up rotting in your tank.

Fair enough, which section then as i thought this was the most suitable ?

 

[curlyriff]

Fair enough, which section then as i thought this was the most suitable ?

I would have posted this in this section too as I can't see anywhere else and wood decor is often part of planted scaping. In honesty though not allot of people would have experiance of using the wood you asked and that is probably why you didn't get an answer.

From what I have read if it is not known to be poisons or have toxins you should be pretty safe as long as it is boiled and soaked for a while first.

Hardwoods are best to be used as they don't break down like softwoods and should generally be fine to add. For beechwood I think that is maybe not the best wood to use. Naturally found driftwood and manzanita are common.

If you are unsure don't use it. On a side note manzanita floats and is normally used for lizards and stuff but if you tie it to rock no problems there.

Kind Regards,

Adam

 

[Jamepsss]

I would have thought the hardware/DIY section would be the place for stuff like this.

I'm no expert but I have read about people treating questionable kinds of wood with polyurethane varnish/yacht varnish prior to adding them to their tanks.

 

[bonzo]

Thank you for your replies.

 

[Miles_hot]

I have zero knowledge of fish tanks, wood in fish tanks and stuff however I do know a little about wood. Assuming that the reason people talk about leaving wood a while before sticking it into a fish tank is due to chemicals in the wood I'm guessing this would be down to the sap as that's the stuff that toddles off when the wood is being seasoned. Naturally drying (seasoning) wood in air takes 1 year per inch - thus if you've got something say 3" diameter it will take 3 years to dry out. Boiling is an old method of speeding this up - boil (use a stone to hold it down) and then leave to dry in air and it will be a lot faster as the boiling drives the sap out and water replaces it which can then dry faster. I suspect though that boiling a 6'7' stick will be a challenge.
HTH
Miles

 

[bonzo]

I have zero knowledge of fish tanks, wood in fish tanks and stuff however I do know a little about wood. Assuming that the reason people talk about leaving wood a while before sticking it into a fish tank is due to chemicals in the wood I'm guessing this would be down to the sap as that's the stuff that toddles off when the wood is being seasoned. Naturally drying (seasoning) wood in air takes 1 year per inch - thus if you've got something say 3" diameter it will take 3 years to dry out. Boiling is an old method of speeding this up - boil (use a stone to hold it down) and then leave to dry in air and it will be a lot faster as the boiling drives the sap out and water replaces it which can then dry faster. I suspect though that boiling a 6'7' stick will be a challenge.
HTH
Miles

Thank you.