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UK wood in aquariums

Iain Sutherland

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UKAPS Team
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7 Jul 2011
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Location
Cambridge
So i went for a walk around my local fields and woods and saw a lot of very dead fallen trees with some great branches that i could use in my tank.
So would this be safe? are there particular types of wood that are better for this?

I couldnt even begin to guess the type though as all the bark had been stripped from the one i really liked, if the wood is boiled is it safe to try? I always believed that the only reason for not using some woods is because of the speed of decomposition?? Or is it more complicated than this??

Thanks
 
Not to sure but i think most othem are ok apart from ever greens as they leach out sap and stuff. I have a lump of sycamore in my main tank,it has been in there for over a year and all the fish are fine. It does however colour the water a light yellow colour but carbon sorts that out.
 
Most wood is ok, but yes avoid pine and other evergreens. I'm never sure when I pick up a piece without exact ID but its always worth a shot. You need to spend time preparing it which usually tells you whether any nasty stuff is going to leach out. I leave it in a spare tank or bin to soak for as long as it takes. If the wood is already rotten in places obviously that's no good but if it feels hard, seems dry/dead then get it soaked and enjoy :)
I just did a 2ft with some Oak branches. I left the bark on this time, and I've not tried this before. Seems ok so far. I'll post a pic up if you like :)
Cheers

Gavin
 
I think there are some that are poisonous so be careful. I read somewhere that Ivy is a big no no.
 
As a rule, if its a moderately hard wood, then you are fine to use it. Oak is the best as its one of the hardest we have in the UK. Some look great but wouldnt be suitable. Gorse Ulex europaeus looks brilliant, but wouldnt be suitable.
Hawthorn, Apple, Cherry, Birch, Alder, Rowan, are some that are good to use. One of the best I ever use and still use, particularly in nano scapes is Heather wood. Brilliant as its gnarly,contorted and can be very fine or up to around 3cm thick at its thickest.

NOTE: Always make sure the wood is a long time dead, never green or freshly cut.
You should never take from protected sites.
And always be contentious to where you are taking it from.
Also, evergreens are not good for your aquarium.
 
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Couldn't decide which was the best pic :)
Apologies for the poor quality pics. iPhone needs a new lens I reckon :)

Added a pic I took when first setting up. Bit better I hope?
 

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All out of focus, but the scape looks very nice! Maybe try and get a decent front-on shot?
 
Alot of the wood is suitable for aquarium life except for some of the conifers such as pine or cedar whose resins are toxic to our fishy friends. In the tank in this thread there are different native trees all residing in the tank, most collected from a small stream including Ivy but you must make sure it is dead and has been soaked in water as you don't want it floating in your tank
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=16361
Joe's tank uses native wood (Ireland but the UK would be very similar) in his tanks and is a fountain of knowledge about what is suitable and I'm sure he will add to this post as soon as he reads it and recommend different types of trees for 'harvesting'
 
i have used and do use, alder, oak, ash, birch, bramble, willow, maple and endless exotic species, without any problems, i just make sure the wood is well dead and not starting to decompose, i avoid all evergreen species, everything from pine to cedar to rhododendron to laurel, ivy being one exception, of all wood this is one of my favourites, very twisty branches lots of unusual shapes and long lasting, as dave said i am using it in my planted tank at the moment, i will have a look at the video of it that dave put up in the low tech section of the forum and i will add a post with the identity of all the species that are visible
 
Hey guys. Dont forget to check the date of threads you reply to. This one is from Sept 2011 ;)
 
Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) is also one of the hardest woods to find all over Europe. Centuries back used to manufacture cogwheels and axils etc.
Seem to be very suitable for aquarium use. :)
 
Does anyone know if staghorn sumach can be used in an aquarium and if so, how could I prepare it cut straight from a tree
 
Hey everyone,

I’m new here, you guys are ever so useful! I’ve got some elder berry wood soaking currently, is it safe does anyone know?
 
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