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. 

[Pepere]

Presumably the branch (like the apple) doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

look around nearby.   Can you see where the branch fell from?

often you can see a likely source.

It is incredibly difficult to identify a branch without leaves on it.  Leaves help tremendously.

if no possibility of determining tree it fell from, cutting a piece of the wood into a board helps.  Having a nice clean cut 1x4 about six inches long sanded smoothly can reveal grain patterns that help identify the wood.  And knowing where in the country you found it.

An experienced woodworker can sometime tell on the first cut by the smell of the wood when cutting it.  Anybody who ever cuts african zebrawood will have that smell imprinted in his psyche for life…

[BrettD]

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. 

[Pepere]

“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/

 

[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.