drift wood for ibc totes?

[Razberry910]

I have a pile of 300 gallon totes that I'm going to make into ponds next summer. various liveberers, white clouds, fancy goldfish, platys. it'll be alot of experimenting. I'll be adding floating/semi floating plants. I was wondering if I should start tracking down some driftwood now? would it be helpful to the tote eco system? buying driftwood would be to expensive. can I add maple or oak branches to totes? maybe collect drift wood from marinas? thoughts? 

typed on mobile spelling and grammar are a wreck.

[Guppysnail]

Oak and maple I know personally is safe I’ve used it. I think I read somewhere walnut wood is not but don’t quote me on that one. I think it was the maple that I got very little of the tannin coloration from but it’s been many years. So if your looking for the benefits of tannins that may not be best. Make sure they are super dried out and have no green wood left at all. Do your research. I’m sure there are tons of google articles on native wood collection for aquariums. There are also quite a few good threads on here. There was one that listed safe and unsafe but I can’t seem to find it for you. Good luck with your adventures 

[Gator]

You don't mention what state you live, but if you can find it, Cypress knees make great additions to aquariums and add tannins. The bad part is that they aren't readily available everywhere.

[Torrey]

On 11/5/2021 at 6:32 PM, Razberry910 said:

I have a pile of 300 gallon totes that I'm going to make into ponds next summer. various liveberers, white clouds, fancy goldfish, platys. it'll be alot of experimenting. I'll be adding floating/semi floating plants. I was wondering if I should start tracking down some driftwood now? would it be helpful to the tote eco system? buying driftwood would be to expensive. can I add maple or oak branches to totes? maybe collect drift wood from marinas? thoughts? 

typed on mobile spelling and grammar are a wreck.

Aquariumscience.org debunks a lot of the myths around "that wood is not safe" using the scientific method. I followed the advice and have never been happier with my tanks.

Fish seem to be more appreciative as well,  primarily by being a lot more hardy

[Razberry910]

On 11/5/2021 at 10:40 PM, Gator said:

You don't mention what state you live, but if you can find it, Cypress knees make great additions to aquariums and add tannins. The bad part is that they aren't readily available everywhere.

Ohio no cypress here

[mynameisnobody]

You could always purchase a large piece and cut it into smaller pieces to ensure every tote has the benefit of having some driftwood in it. If going and hunting for one is the goal, then I’d google where in your area has useful aquarium wood. Good luck!