Is this wood safe?

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Salty&Onion

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I recently got this beatiful piece of wood and I wonder if its safe to add to my tank?


IMG_20200706_110253.jpg
 
Where did you get it from?
 
If he bought if from a pet shop for aquarium fish use, then it's safe.
Just make sure it can be used for fish and not just for reptiles.
It looks like the Mopani or Azalea wood.

Check here.
 
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If he bought if from a pet shop for aquarium fish use, then it's safe.
Just make sure its for fish and not for reptiles.
It looks like the Azalea wood or spiderwood.

Check here.
So my wood is safe to use in my tank?
 
Could be grapevine wood which is used in vivariums. I'd start by submerging it in a bucket of water for a day or two and see if anything starts leaching out from it. If it is grapevine wood, youll likely see that it leaches a lot of tannins and some white fuzzy (harmless) mould. Its likely safe, however you may not like the look of your water after its leached stuff into it
 
Its likely safe, however you may not like the look of your water after its leached stuff into it
Tannins? Yeah.
Hoping for a bit of tannins for my betta.
Ok, I'll do as you say and hopefully @Byron could confirm what kind of my woody is :D
 
I cannot say if this wood is or is not safe. If it is Mopani, it should be. If it is grapewood it might or might not be safe--this wood is known to have a toxic fungus in some of it but not all. Azaela is not safe.
 
I cannot say if this wood is or is not safe. If it is Mopani, it should be. If it is grapewood it might or might not be safe--this wood is known to have a toxic fungus in some of it but not all. Azaela is not safe.
Luckily its not grape I believe. It looks like either azalea or spider wood... I have couple of fish fry in the tank and coul sacrifice them and couple of shrimp in my spare tank and see if its safe. No other way of knowing. Should I keep the wood in the tank for 2-4 weeks?
 
Luckily its not grape I believe. It looks like either azalea or spider wood... I have couple of fish fry in the tank and coul sacrifice them and couple of shrimp in my spare tank and see if its safe. No other way of knowing. Should I keep the wood in the tank for 2-4 weeks?

Azalea I believe is toxic through and through, and can be used with reptiles but not submersed in an aquarium. I'm not saying this is Azalea, just noting it is toxic wood. The other types tend to have a white fungus/slime that is sometimes toxic and sometimes not. The toxic one is deadly. I had a piece of some branch I bought in a fish store several years ago, and it developed the white fungus/slime, and at the same tie the cories were having real trouble respirating. The water also took on a slight haze something like a bacterial bloom. I knew it must be the wood so out it came and got scrubbed under the hot water tap. Dried it out. Put it in another tank, all seemed OK for a few weeks, then fish began acting odd and I saw that the "fungus" had reappeared on the back side where I didn't see it, so that was it, out it went to the garden. I happened to be in a local fish store around the same time, and overheard a customer relaying a similar story, except he had not realized it was the wood and all his cories literally turned belly-up in a day. Similar reports on various forums.
 
I'll do the test just like I have said and see if it is toxic, but for how long should I keep the wood in the tank? I have filter with carbon sponge.
 
Don't forget that your betta can catch its fins on sharp edges and rip them though
 
It's kind of hard to identify a wood unless we study Botany.

Perhaps when I visit the fish store again this week, I will try to look for any similar wood.

I think when you want to use it, you must use it with caution as what Byron mentioned about his experience.
Observe your fish when you put it into your tank.
 

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