# So basically is wood just wood?



## munk (Apr 13, 2016)

I purchased a 125 off of somebody's list and I was wondering...hmmm. I live in Colorado so naturally pine (dead) is abundant. Is it okay to use pine in an aquarium as long as it is completely dried? Or is there something about pine that is a negative? Or is wood just wood? This crew I am sure has some quality input so lets have it. Also I am making my stand out of beetle kill (blue stain) pine and will post pictures in the DIY section (eventually). Thanks for your help.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Not all wood is the same and safe to use. Pine has a lot of sap and produces toxins that can be toxic to fish. It's generally a good idea to avoid pine wood. Same with willow and walnut also.

Most other hardwoods are safe to use.

The exception is naturally collected driftwood which has had time and exposure to leach out any toxins.

Andy


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## munk (Apr 13, 2016)

I have available old dried out wood, not necessarily driftwood but laying in the forest for years. Also have Aspen readily available as well.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

It has been generally accepted that conifers are a poor choice for aquarium wood because of the resins in it. However, I have seen many pieces of weathered cedar sold in aquarium shops. A friend uses large amounts of willow (fresh) in his tanks, because he has a willow tree on his property. His plecos don't suffer for it, nor do his other fish. Some of the woods I have used are lilac, Norway maple, and mulberry. Also a few I don't know the origin of. I suspect that with regular water changes, it may not be the issue some would have us believe.


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## munk (Apr 13, 2016)

I appreciate the responses. I also have available what we call scrub oak or gambrel oak. I have a feeling this would a good choice as it is a very hard wood, this also is lying around for the taking. Hmmm?


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

I would be worried about the pine personally. The oak should be fine though.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I only had bad experiences with one piece of wood that I collected in the forest. It was huge - enough to instantly decorate a 125G by itself! It looked awesome, but started rotting at the back, where I could not see it. The rest of it was just fine, so I never caught the problem and only wondered why my fish were dying if I didn't do daily water changes. I only worked it out when it was too late. It was a bear of a job lifting that piece of wood out of the tank, but when I did, the stench was not to be missed.

So my advice would be to use pieces of wood that you can easily lift out of the tank when you do maintenance and give them a sniff. If they stink, it's time to replace them. Most wood you collect in the forest will eventually start rotting after a few years in the water. The main difference between hardwood like oak, and softwood like pine is that hardwood will last a lot longer before it needs to be replaced than softwood.


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## dledinger (Mar 20, 2013)

FWIW, I use almost exclusively cedar stumps that I have collected along the coastal creeks. All very weathered and dry when collected. Colors in the aquarium are absolutely beautiful. No issues with rot.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Here is a link to common plants with toxicity issues.
http://plantsciences.utk.edu/pdf/Plants ... onFish.pdf

I was wrong about the willow. The toxin is in the leaves but the wood is ok.

For Black Walnut avoid it totally.


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## munk (Apr 13, 2016)

Thank you everyone. It is an honor to pick so many brains.


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