Brianemone Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 I've got a few peices of driftwoody stuff lying around that the previous owner left behind when they moved out (along with a multitude of other rubbish) I assume not all woods are created equally so I just wanted to see if there is any way of telling what type of wood it is and wether it will be suitible to put in my soon to be setup planted tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucid Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 best thing to do is soak it, see if it leeches any tannins and most importantly if you can sink it. Usually it is the darker wood that is best suited, but in saying that we have a few lighter coloured ones here that sink and look amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 It's really complicated and drawn out process to tell if the wood is suitable to put in a tank. Step 1: Look at driftwood. Step 2: Identify if driftwood is driftwood or not. Step 3: If driftwood is wood, identify if it's clean or not. Step 4: If dirty, clean it. Step 5: Put in tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 It's really complicated and drawn out process to tell if the wood is suitable to put in a tank. Step 1: Look at driftwood. Step 2: Identify if driftwood is driftwood or not. Step 3: If driftwood is wood, identify if it's clean or not. Step 4: If dirty, clean it. Step 5: Put in tank. Yip, cheers for that Ira, I was a bit worried i might miss an important step. The wood has been sitting out sit for some time and so it is pretty silver, I need to get an old barrel to see what it does in water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 I wouldn't worry about what it does to the water. The browning is harmless, usually very minor and unless you have very light demanding plants will only make the water a bit dark for a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 While i cant say im all that keen on having the tannins leached into the water (as i want some nice crystal clear water) Im more concerned that the wood might be a softer type of wood that might break down in the tank and make a bit of a mess, obviously its easy enough to take it out but if its rotting on the inside it might not be the first thing i think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 So you have to suck out the few stray fragments of wood as it breaks down over a few years, who cares? That's like worrying about a dripping tap during a flood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Dont forget to pour boiling water over it. Only takes a second and you'll prevent any hitchhikers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucid Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 also if you have a wire brush give it a good scrub with it and it will get rid of the loose flakey bits, and will probably bring it back to the brown colour aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Ive taken a few pictures of some of the wood, there are clearly two different types, i'll post up the pics as soon as i find my usb cable that my son has hidden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 If you have a water blaster, that'll do wonders. Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Here is the first peice, its thinner and seems to be a harder wood. A close up of the same wood This is another peice, a bit chunkier, and seems to be a little less dense closer and closer again I havent decided on the final design of the tank so i still dont know which peice i prefer in terms of the look i want but if one is more suitible then i will err on the side ofcaution and use that peice, currently #1 looks to be the peice more suited to tank life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Wet it then poke at it with something sharp. If its too soft, don't use it. I put a small piece of wood in my tank that was rotting and it made a dreadful mess of the tank. Its great looking wood though, so I hope its ok. Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Should be OK but I wonder if it is so dried out it will never sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Should be OK but I wonder if it is so dried out it will never sink. i was thinking the same, they look very dried, so it might that them forever to sink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 If the wood isn't sinking, just pile more rocks on top of it. Those look fine, just give them a good wash to get some of the spider webs off it(Spider webs will turn your fish into axe murderers) and throw it in the tank with some rocks piled on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 It's really complicated and drawn out process to tell if the wood is suitable to put in a tank. Step 1: Look at driftwood. Step 2: Identify if driftwood is driftwood or not. Step 3: If driftwood is wood, identify if it's clean or not. Step 4: If dirty, clean it. Step 5: Put in tank. Does it really have to be "driftwood" in the meaning of wood that has drifted around the sea or stream. I used a piece of swamp kauri, it has been in my community tank for a year & no probs Smidey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Nope, all it has to be is wood. Just wood out of a swamp tends to be really dirty and will have absorbed all kinds of mud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 I would have thought the same but i soaked it for a week, threw it in & nothing came out of it at all. Its definately swamp kauri, I watched the digger dig it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Wet it then poke at it with something sharp. If its too soft, don't use it. I put a small piece of wood in my tank that was rotting and it made a dreadful mess of the tank. Its great looking wood though, so I hope its ok. Cheers Jude Yip, I remember you talking about that about a year ago. At the same time that was happening to you i was helping someone with a tank that had a strange algae problem and only after completly stripping the tank did i find the wood they put in was decaying. I thought I should get the wood into some water to start the sinking process so the peices are now in the paddling pool out the back with bricks on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 as i want some nice crystal clear water Try Zoevit 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Try Zoevit 8) lol freshwater! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 winding Brian up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Makin him go back to the dark side huh? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 lol oh nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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