Collecting Wood?

[Ben M]

hi, i am setting up a new shrimp nano this week, and i have been looking for some wood to put in it. however, i have searched everywhere, and i can't find a suitable piece, and i am on a tiny budget. and a couple of years ago i found a small piece of driftwood about 12" long with a diameter of about 1" or so in a lake. i soaked it and it has been in my tank ever since with no problems. i have no idea what type of wood it is.

so i thought i'd have a hunt about for some driftwood in streams/ponds etc to see what they have to offer. however, does it matter what tree it is from if it looks like it's been in the stream/pond for a very long time? and with lots of scrubbing and soaking will it be ok in the tank? (i could soak it for quite a few weeks, as i haven't ordered the substrate yet, and there's no rush except the fact that i can't wait to get it planted!!!

cheers

 

[Gfish]

If it's already soaked that's great. So long as it isn't mushy anywhere I'd say it's good to use. If you want to be over cautious, boil it. But I'd scrub it up and just keep it soaked until you need it.
Sinking wood is a great find

 

[Ben M]

thanks, that's great news! i won't be buying any more wood for my tanks if i can help it!

i'm off now to look for some driftwood.

 

[Iliveinazoo]

I'm pretty sure that I've read somewhere that you should avoid conifers but I'm not sure when or where I read it...

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll remember that, i think i've read that in the past as well.

at the back of my garden there is a massive ash tree and some elder trees, and there is a lot of dead wood around them. would this be suitable if i can't find any in streams? and it has mould growing on the bark, will it be ok once i take the bark off it and soak and boil it for a few weeks? and should i choose the hardest pieces so they'll last a while before decomposing? and about how long will they last before decomposing; will i get a good few years out of them?

cheers

 

[BigTom]

Good thread about this on PFK forums - http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk ... hp?t=53319

 

[Ben M]

thanks for the link, it really helped!

i have some dead hawthorn and some dead ash that i collected from some trees. i know that it is safe to use the hawthorn, but i'm not sure about the ash, does anybody know about that? also, do you have to remove the bark from them both? i intend to remove the bark from both anyway, but i'd just like to know if it is a must.

here are the 2 pieces:

Hawthorn.

here is the colour of the wood under the bark. looks similar to redmoor.

and here is the ash.

and also, i'll be collecting some leaves soon for my tanks, i know that oak is ok, but can i also use beech or any other types of leaf? and do i have to collect them when they are dead, of can i pick live leaves and then dry them out?

cheers

 

[Luketendo]

Yeah I think you do have to take bark off.