Using Wood And Rocks From The Woods

[msasa19]

i am going to rescape my tank in the new year, get some plants and stuff to make it look more natural.


i live near a wood, so was gunna go for a gander while walking the dog for a decent sized piece of wood and some rocks to create hiding places. why pay for them at the pet shop when i can get them for free!?


can i use them?

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Depends on type of wood and rock. Wood must be long dead, have bark removed, and be boiled and pre-soaked. Stones/rocks must must be tested so you know they will not dissolve in your tank releasing harmful chemicals, and be scrubbed and boiled. I recently added stones from local woods to my 100 l community tank without issue.

 

[msasa19]

ok so wood is going to be harder for me to find, so will have to post again about that when i find some, so with the rocks how would i test them?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Pour vinegar on them. White distilled... If it bubbles, then its no good. Also, you'll want to boil them for a good while (at least 20 minutes). If they foul the water (other than dirt) then you have an issue. If not, then you are probably fine.


Or, you could ask a geologist to test it for you. ;-) Personally, I work in a school where there are several folks who study geology. I just ask them. Gneiss or shist work great. Limestone would be a problem. You may not recognize those when you see them. BUT, if you find slate, that works great, as does granite. You will also want to avoid halite (commonly used as rock salt). If you are feeling bold, a quick lick test can determine this... ;-)

 

[mrvillicus]

i spent months looking into this and I eventually came to what Drslackbladder said, do not use pine, from our forests you can use oak, fruit tree wood and others, search through google and you'll get your answer

 

[DrRob]

The other good one for bubbling rocks is limescale remover, many people have it in the cupboard anyway. Just chip a piece off, rather than put any in your tank.

Oh, and don't boil rocks. They've been known to explode. Pour boiling water over them by all means, but don't boil them.

I've heard several times that ash is bad, but most hardwoods are otherwise safe, and you want the longest dead stuff that you can get that's still hard, that way you've got no drying out to do.

 

[msasa19]

ok so i found some wood, im not sure what kind it is but definatly dead, and for a while by the looks of it, some bits are a bit soft but will saw them off, i have taken the bark off and soaked it in boiling water twice, it has now been in the airing cupboard for 3 days, should i soak it again, im looking at rescaping next week.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

I'd soak it in used tank water from a water change; you'll want it saturated rather than dried so it doesn't float, and if you test the water's pH every couple of days you'll have a good idea whether it'll affect your tank water or not.

 

[msasa19]

oki doki, ph is already pretty high so hopefully wont effect it to much!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If anything it should bring it down a bit. Wood leaches tannins, in the form of tannic acid. Its really good for the fish, like a tonic, so don't worry about it. If the wood floats, glue it to a piece of slate or something like that and you'll be set. (use super glue, but only if the wood is dry. It sets immediately when exposed to water.)

 

[raptorrex]

Why this aint pinned, I have no idea.
http/www.fishforum...n-the-aquarium/

 

[nellynelly]

I have just added a 5foot branch which i know came from a oak tree at my parents house a couple of years ago it came down in a storm, sat behind shed ever since, given it a nice scrub down, had to weight it down in tank until becomes soaked,hehe..

But prior to adding ensure you know what your dealing with, some woods can be soft wood and not good for aqauriums, some are poisionus, apple,cherry,oak are a few i know are ok, then things like pine and conifer stay clear

 

[msasa19]

here is a pic, im not sure what it is? it was joined together but broke it in half to carry it home haha i have cleaned them and taken the bark off now, these are pics from before, i have the smaller piece soaking in water change tank water until i rescape next week hopefully

 

[DrRob]

Looks very much like someone else posted recently, which is elder. As in elderflower/berries. I can't see the cross section on your picture, you should have a softer (often darker and occasionally hollow) core on the branches if it is.

Seems to do well in the aquarium, although it leeches tannins like crazy.

 

[msasa19]

yeah that sound like it and yes the water is brown when ive soaked them!, i may give them a few more goes at boiling them then, i have a tank OCD and wont be able to stand the colour my water will turn!