Devon Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Hiya guys. I picked up a peice of driftwood in taupo. I ahve broken abit of it and the inside is still dry. and isnt water loged quite yet. My question is "Is the peice of wood to new and will it seep sap into my tank"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETEYPLECO Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 If it is old whitish wood like you see at the beach it will be okay but you will still need to soak it or preferably boil it for a while to rid it of germs, any sap or other contaminants. Some wood is not suitable for use in an aquarium, eg pine as it will rot quickly under water. Your best and safest bet is to go to your local pet shop or aquarium shop and buy a piece from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Posted August 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 K. I got it from a river so its probly pine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETEYPLECO Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Yeah most likely, the bogwood you buy from your LFS is a very hard long lasting wood, or the right type to use. Some wood from beaches is okay but it must feel very hard ( break or cut a small bit to see ) and you still must boil it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 NZ native timbers like rata and rimu are excellent for fish tanks. If your piece you have found is not oozing sap, then drop it in a container of water to waterlog it and test the pH etc after a week or so to see if the pH has altered. Check the plain water first though so you have something to compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 If it is a hardwood you should not be able to press your fingernail into it when dry. Maybe try drying it out first to give it this test then boil and soak. Some pieces take a while to sink, in the mean time they can be weighted down in a number of ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopy Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 what about big pieces of driftwood? how do you water log them? And you can't really stick a piece of driftwood nearly a meter long into a standard kitchen pot to boil :lol: I have 2 big bits here that i wanna use but not sure how to prepare them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 I have an old bath (2 actually) outside I use to keep large waterlogged pieces of driftwood. I do not boil my driftwood, just give it a good blast with the hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 ...I ahve broken abit of it and the inside is still dry... If you can break abit off, then it's probably too soft to go into your tank. It will rot, and if it's pine it may leach toxic sap... sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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