Can You Use Real Wood In Tank Or Is It Better Fake?

[Sharpy14]

Another question I'm unsure about, I should hopefully soon have my tank with about 15 neon tetra's in it, and want a wooden branch across the back of the tank . Do you have to buy wood from a pet shop after being hollowed out and bugs killed or do you just buy fake ones?

 

[moochy13]

get real wood from a pet shop, or fake ones from a pet shop. whatever you get, get it from a pet/fish shop though as it will (should) be suitable for a tank. some fake stuff will have paint or glue that could poison fish. also beware some shops sell wood for snake and lizard tanks, i dont think this is suitable for fish.

 

[Sharpy14]

Great thanks for the help

 

[FreedomFighter]

It's possible to get wood from nature (where do you think pet shops get it)

But you'll require some knowledge of trees, and some patience.

You need to find an oak tree (the only safe one I remember right now) and collect a dead branch that has fallen off it.

Then you want to soak it for a few weeks to a month in a large water container of sorts.. this should help kill off any nasties, and get the branch ready for dropping into the tank.

It's more difficult and time consuming, but you'll save a large wad of cash for a large bit of wood.

 

[walkers101]

It's possible to get wood from nature (where do you think pet shops get it)

But you'll require some knowledge of trees, and some patience.

also beech is fine

 

[moochy13]

on the point i mentioned about wood primarily for vivariums, has anybody used it in a fish tank, or knows why you cant ? vivarium wood is often very spidnly and 'rooty', and looks great. it is also usually cheaper. i can only think that it looks like it might not be very dense and will float.

 

[Alasse]

Oak and beech are not the only woods suitable. Any hardwood can be used in fishtanks. Most of mine is from Gum (Euculypt) trees

 

[dayzofspeed]

if you go down the "collecting a dead branch route" you have to make sure you remove all the bark. personally i would just buy a piece from your lfs, it's far less time consuming and they supply some fantastic looking stuff as well as ordinary looking pieces. i got a nice large piece for about £20 that is more of a tree trunk than a piece of wood, it even has its own in built cave as the top section is hollow check out my tank pic on the link in my signature

 

[necava01]

vivarium wood normally floats but you do get lucky and have the occasional sinker! unless you clean them very thouroghly i would suggest against it because certain companies treat vivarium wood. could be harmful to fish.?

 

[fishman102]

You can use real or fake, but I prefer real. I like to use driftwood, you can order it online or find it yourself at the beach. Once you get it you need to soak it in a bucket of water untill it is waterlogged to where it sinks, then take it out and pour boiling water on it to sterilize it. Now you can put it in the fish tank.

 

[kizno1]

Like other people have said you can just use wood from trees. I mainly use oak but any hard wood will work. The bark needs to have all fallen of or almost all. Then just give it a quite sand soak it until it sinks then pour boiling water over it and its ready to go.

 

[symon_say]

I bought one from PETCO, you can search "tree log", it looks really nice.