Is this Wood Aquarium Safe?

[Kilrkitty08]

Hidy Everyone, 

    I have seen this large pc of wood at my local park for about a year now and I was wondering is there a way I can tell if it is aquarium safe.  Also, if it is safe what would be the best way to treat it, I want to cute a pc large enough for a 75 gallon aquarium and have a Large Tote for soaking. Any advice would be great!  Thanks everyone! 

[Ken Burke]

Do you know what kind of wood it is?  Does it look like any of the trees or shrubs in the area?  
 

it’s pretty hard to tell from a picture, and several varieties are toxic or breakdown rapidly in an aquarium.  I wood want to positively ID it before trying it

[Kilrkitty08]

Is there a way I can test it to see if it's leaching toxins?  What is it that wood leaches out that makes it dangerous?

 

[nabokovfan87]

I can't verify anything said here, but this might be helpful:

https://www.myaquariumclub.com/found-wood-whats-safe-to-use-in-an-aquarium-and-how-to-prepare-it-10522.html

This website was referenced on another post too, which was trying to help someone identify the wood.

https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/tree-identification/#

https://nippyfish.net/2018/11/04/aquarium-wood/

[Anjum]

On 6/10/2022 at 1:57 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I can't verify anything said here, but this might be helpful:

https://www.myaquariumclub.com/found-wood-whats-safe-to-use-in-an-aquarium-and-how-to-prepare-it-10522.html

That's a good link; it explains why some wood is toxic. I went down this rabbit hole a while back, researching about gathering my own wood pieces for the aquarium. Wood is dang expensive in the pet store & I live in the woods, so I thought why pay? Well, because there are risks & time involved in getting your own. Where I live, the tree species are 50/50 safe/unsafe. So gathering fallen wood isn't recommended because it's hard to positively ID it. And gathering fresh wood that has been positively ID'd requires a lot of time to get it ready for the aquarium (it needs to age). So my take away was that this would be a long-term project & not anything I'd be able to stick in the aquarium right away. I haven't done it yet, but I do plan to gather some & start the aging process this summer. Hopefully it'll be ready to use in a year. Vine maple would make a great substitute for spider wood. 

[BeeD]

Someone could have pulled that onto shore, too. It's interesting how burly that is. 

[Brian]

Just be careful.  Some places have laws about removing things (rocks- stone- branches- plants) from city/county/state parks and recreation areas.  
I once picked up a branch to use as a walking stick on a hike and while leaving I was reminded the stick needed to stay in the park.   

[Kilrkitty08]

There are a ton of Sycamore trees, is their wood safe if it did come from one of them?  Thanks Everyone for the Articles I did not know Walnut family secreted poisons.

[Ken Burke]

On 6/11/2022 at 1:47 PM, Kilrkitty08 said:

There are a ton of Sycamore trees, is their wood safe if it did come from one of them?  Thanks Everyone for the Articles I did not know Walnut family secreted poisons.

According to this website, it is.  https://fishtankadvisor.com/aquarium-driftwood/
 

but unless you are really certain, I advise you continue moving slowly. 

[DaveO]

By the looks of that wood it has been in that lake or stream for probably years before coming ashore. I doubt there is any toxic resin left in it, even if it were walnut or cedar or whatever. The only treatment I would give it is to soak it until it sinks. Change the water every few days to keep it fresh and bug free. It's a good looking piece of wood, lots of character. 

[JettsPapa]

On 6/11/2022 at 6:24 PM, Pepere said:

“There are several types of wood that are safe for aquarium use. These include alder, apple, beech, birch, cherry, hawthorn, heather, oak, pear, and sycamore.”

 

https://aquariumsathome.com/what-types-of-wood-are-safe-for-aquariums/

 

 

I can add one.  I've had several pieces of bois d' arc in my 65 gallon tank for about 2-1/2 years.  It's a very dense, hard wood, and it sank after floating for only about two days.