Driftwood Species (Conifers)

[Tomato Shrimp]

What is everyone's opinion on using Evergreen or Coniferous species of wood as driftwood in your tank? Specifically, I have some nice pieces of root Cedar that have been washed into the flood zone of a nearby river and I'm considering using them in a new endler breeding tank. I understand a few of the generic risks as opposed to typical hardwoods. The main cons seem to be: 

• Potentially significant drops in the pH due to the nature of using a soft-wood, that will decompose and release tannins much faster than typical species. (allegedly)
• anti-fungal and possibly toxic properties of the cedar-sap, that normally set this wood on a pedestal for use in chicken coops and rodent enclosures to mitigate the animals bug and disease risk

My question is, do you think its possible to mitigate the risks here? i know you can boil wood to release some tannins, but could i also do this to release the sap and oils in the wood? is there a better way to prepare to wood, or to test to see if its going to be my downfall? the core of these pieces is still red in color, despite being dead for several years and spending lost of time in a river or on the bank.

 

Let me know if anyone has used any conifers or soft woods in their tanks before. Ive used completely cured sinker-cypress before in my shrimp tank and its still doing great, so i know its not impossible to use a conifer, but im still weary. Thanks!

[T. Payne]

I have used cypress and cedar driftwood in my aquariums for years. My wood has been collected from the banks of a beaver pond on a private farm that I hunt during the winter.  I have never boiled it, but I do let it soak in one of my many outdoor ponds for a season before I use it in an aquarium.  Using this method, it does still create minimal tannins and little to no effect on water parameters.

[Tomato Shrimp]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:42 AM, T. Payne said:

I have used cypress and cedar driftwood in my aquariums for years. My wood has been collected from the banks of a beaver pond on a private farm that I hunt during the winter.  I have never boiled it, but I do let it soak in one of my many outdoor ponds for a season before I use it in an aquarium.  Using this method, it does still create minimal tannins and little to no effect on water parameters.

Thats great to hear. I’ve also had success with cypress as well but my fear was that it could have been because it was reclaimed from the bottom of a lake and nearly a century old since it was submerged. Ive got the 3 year felled cedar in a container soaking already. Do you think i could expedite the soaking process by boiling the wood? or is the natural way just that much more important? Im not so fearful of the tannins as i am the potential for the actual anti-fungal and pest-repelling nature of the wood to negatively impact the fish and invertebrates i plan on keeping in the relatively small water space (compared to a pond, of which i have none) 

[Levi_Aquatics]

I have definitely heard a lot about how soft wood species aren’t good for fish due to their sap which is toxic however is sounds like the piece you have is very old and has dried out so it might be fine to use if you soak it and maybe boil it. 

[T. Payne]

I only believe in giving advice on my personal experience, I will say that I soak the wood in a pond because I have 8 above ground ponds that I breed tropical fish in during the summers but I leave the ponds set up year round. So it is easy on me that way.  I have heard that boiling wood expedites the process but I do not have experience doing so.  I enjoy trying new things in the hobby and if you could boil it, I would encourage you to try it. Then you could always test your water parameters in your container now and test water parameters in the container after you boil and compare. Results could be helpful.

[Tomato Shrimp]

I subscribe to that thought process as well. Very well, seeing as my situation might prove difficult to soak for extended periods, i thing im going to try boiling. Ill take a few standard measurements and photos of the boiling pot, and the tank if all goes well. If its interesting then ill create an update. Thanks for the reply. 

[Gator]

@Tomato Shrimp, @T. Payne, and @Levi_Aquatics; I personally do not have any experience with Cypress in any of my tanks, but I do have Oak in one of my tanks that is from a dead limb I picked up off the ground in my back yard.  After reading your posts and several yesterday, I wouldn't be against going where I know there are Cypress trees, breaking off a dead limb, as opposed to a green limb, bringing it home, breaking it down further to fit my tanks, and dropping those pieces in. It may take several days for the Cypress to soak up enough water to sink, the Oak took a week, but I wouldn't boil the pieces before I dropped them in because I want the tannins in my tanks for my blackwater fish. A friend of mine in Orlando, FL. breeds Angelfish and the wood she uses in her 55 G breeding tank is Live Oak and the Angelfish lay their eggs on that limb. A historical fact, the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) is made from Live Oak.

[Tomato Shrimp]

On 1/2/2022 at 11:40 AM, Gator said:

@Tomato Shrimp, @T. Payne, and @Levi_Aquatics; I personally do not have any experience with Cypress in any of my tanks, but I do have Oak in one of my tanks that is from a dead limb I picked up off the ground in my back yard.  After reading your posts and several yesterday, I wouldn't be against going where I know there are Cypress trees, breaking off a dead limb, as opposed to a green limb, bringing it home, breaking it down further to fit my tanks, and dropping those pieces in. It may take several days for the Cypress to soak up enough water to sink, the Oak took a week, but I wouldn't boil the pieces before I dropped them in because I want the tannins in my tanks for my blackwater fish. A friend of mine in Orlando, FL. breeds Angelfish and the wood she uses in her 55 G breeding tank is Live Oak and the Angelfish lay their eggs on that limb. A historical fact, the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) is made from Live Oak.

I would be perfectly comfortable using Oak in any of my tanks, and same goes for most hardwood species of wood. My only remaining concern is the natural anti-fungal and pest deterring properties of Cedar, and how they might be toxic to fish and especially shrimp and other inverts. 

 

I do believe that it would be cool to use dead cypress branches and sticks, and where I'm from, we have no shortage of such woods. the wood I'm using now was felled in 2018 by a cat 5 hurricane that hit my home town. I collected 2 cedar stumps + roots while river fishing to be used as table legs, and had all the interesting roots and pieces that were cut off to make the feet of the legs flat. These were found dry, but have obvious signs of a few years of being submerged in the river. 

[Kiefer]

IMO the main problem you run into with softer wood is it disintegrates faster than hardwood. People will raise a lot of alarms about toxins or whatever in conifer wood (or walnut, or cherry, or whatever wood you're considering at the time when you ask facebook where everything seems to be absolutely fatal to fish) but I think it's mostly hand wringing unless you're chopping down a cedar and adding it to your tank the next day. So long as you age and soak the wood any dangerous volatile compounds or excessive tannins should be gone by the time the wood is water logged.

Really there's only one way to find out but as a person who throws all kinds of random stuff from the yard in tanks I think your chances of it working are good.  Endlers are tough buggers, I have some in a tank full of back yard collected wood (maple, dogwood, no big conifer branches handy or I'd have tried them too) and they're doing great.

[Lifeisgood]

I have had cedar driftwood in a few of my tanks for a number of years.  I found it on the shore of a remote trout stream and it was well weathered.  I put it out in the sun to dry the outsides of it, brushed off any debris and then submerged it in my tank.

Have had good success with rainbow fish, Hillstream loaches which have been breeding regularly, Gouramis, and Rosy barbs.  And fancy goldfish in a different tank.