Questions about safe wood for tanks

[Ellie11]

I’m reading most, if not all, dry wood is safe for tanks. Is this correct?

I am collecting fallen dead branches from trees on my land: maple, oak & beech. I picked up other pieces from a lake beach. When I failed miserably at zip tying them together to recreate a particular Amazonian biotrope, I got a big piece of pecan from an online driftwood vendor.

I have a third wood collection option. There’s a local recycling center that accepts leaves & branches which are made into mulch they sell. I phoned yesterday & was told I could take any branches/roots I want, free.

Am I at risk of getting wood exposed to pesticides? I have never used any on my acreage.
Thank you.

 

[Magnum Man]

typically you don't want any conifers ( pine ) I personally want to know where the wood comes from, or what it was exposed to... I would avoid the 3rd option...

butt, everything you listed I've heard of people using...

BTW... I dip mine in boiling water for a couple minutes, just enough to kill any pests or bacteria... I have seen it posted not to boil it... but I don't think a couple minutes causes the wood to decompose any faster, & makes me feel a bit more at ease

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello Ellie. I've used whatever pieces I find in the forested areas near where I live. As long as the piece is dry, there's nothing that can harm your fish tank. If you have a concern, use a pressure spray attached to your garden hose and clean the piece thoroughly. Then, leave it out in the sun to dry for a day or two. The chance of there being any type of bacteria on the piece is very remote. The time drying in the sun would kill anything like bacteria. Make sure to pick up some heavy rocks to weigh down the piece in the water. If you prefer to float the wood, you can use black sewing thread to attach some Banana Lillies or Water Moss. They work well just floating close to the light source. One more thing. If you float the driftwood piece, it will eventually become water logged and drop to the bottom of the tank.

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[GaryE]

Yup, as already said, avoid softwood and focus on the local hardwoods. Many resins are toxic in enclosed tanks, and when I have used very sun bleached, resin free softwoods - they vanish quickly. Oak and maple are my go to branches, with the bark stripped. They take a whole summer weighted down in an out door tub to sink though.

 

[Byron]

No one has mentioned where you collect the wood. Avoid any industrial area, along roads, or from gardens where pesticides, fertilizers, etc. have been used. There is no way to remove these whatever you do. I would never use branches taken to the mulch place, you don't know where they came from.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello again. If you have a concern about driftwood pieces, specifically resins, check with your local forest service. I live in Colorado and found the resins produced by the woody plants in this area aren't water soluble. In other words, the resins won't dissolve in water. So, you can safely use them in your fish tank. It's important to remember that not all that sappy stuff is a resin. It doesn't hurt to check with someone to be sure.

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[Uberhoust]

I use whatever wood I find in the forest, as long as it is dry and has been dead for a while. This includes Douglas Fir, Western Cedar, Lodgepole Pine. I haven't used very resinous wood like Ponderosa pine, Balsams (true firs but honestly I think they would be OK. I would be cautious with something like yew that starts out quite toxic. Oaks, Alders, and Maples are ok, but cottonwoods, aspens etc. might create issues because they rot so fast.

The most important aspect for me is to have the wood aged well. Nothing resting on the forest floor, nothing with active fungal growth, nothing recently cut dead and aged only. I have a few sites near dam penstocks where I collect interesting pieces whenever I pass them. The floating wood at a dam is often directed to one corner or another where it gets left high and dry every summer resulting in a well leached piece of wood. I live near the ocean and have been using driftwood from there as well.

I agree with all others, no wood from areas that have industrial or agricultural contamination.

Your acreage should be OK, most chemicals a previous owner might have used should be broken down by now.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've used juniper with good results, but I only use very old, dead branches. With hardwoods, you'd want to do a bit of research, but most will be safe. Many tropical hardwoods have sawdust that is toxic to humans, but those probably aren't an issue. I personally avoid plants of the cherry family, as the bark and leaves are toxic, so I'd be reluctant to use the wood. I've heard the same about the walnuts. I do collect weathered driftwood from my local creek, where spring runoff leaves a lot of nice pieces high and dry every year. I suspect it's mostly pine, alder, and aspen, as that's what grows here.

Maple, oak, beech, and pecan should be OK, as long as you follow the advice already given: Long dead wood, bark stripped, not from anywhere that's been treated with chemicals or subjected to lots of car exhaust.

Good luck!