Wood In The Aquarium

[ApistoNut]

i would like to make a woody structure in my aquarium for when i eventualy house a pair of firemouths, i would like to use a large twiggy oak branch.
any instructions on how to prepare it straight from a tree??

 

[Rummynose]

i would like to make a woody structure in my aquarium for when i eventualy house a pair of firemouths, i would like to use a large twiggy oak branch.
any instructions on how to prepare it straight from a tree??

I don't think you can use branches straight from a tree. I'm pretty sure that it will foul up the water.

 

[Fishy friend2]

i wouldnt risk it unless you know that it is 100% safe and you know what kind of tree it is

 

[ApistoNut]

oak btanch maybe, dry it out then soak for a while? oak is ok im sure

 

[Hermithall]

Oak is fine - but using it 'live' straight from the tree is probably a bad idea. Use dead wood, that has fallen from the tree out of the growing season - so this is a good time of year to go out and collect it if you're in the UK. Remove the bark, give it a good scrub and soak it for as long as possible. It can take a very long time to become water-logged in order to sink on it's own, but you can pin it with rocks in the aquarium. White mould/bacteria film (not sure which it is) is inevitable even on dead wood, but it's harmless and will go away on it's own after a time. Live wood on the other hand will see this sort of problem a hundred-fold! Tannins will leech for an extremely long time, but will be subdued with weekly water changes, and the whole tannin effect works very well with new world cichlids anyways.

Here's a relevant vid on Youtube, this guy collects his own materials. Check out his other vids too, I find his set-ups inspirational

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8NGAv7qmOE&feature=related

 

[james_fish]

As above, use dead wood rather than wood fresh from the tree

James.

 

[ApistoNut]

thanks will go out in the next few days and have a gander