Natural Driftwood

[HomerJay]

Can I just walk into the woods and grab some wood and use it in my tank? Don't I need to boil it or soak it? What kinds of wood? Will it turn my water yellow?

Thanks!

[darkG]

Typically the water will indeed turn yellow or brown for a while. Several deciduous trees are fine. pH may drop. Soaking is good to make it sink. Boiling, cleaning and sterilizing - I guess the jury is out on that! Probably an old root or decaying branch will have various life in it that will die, so ammonia. Very fresh and very old pieces of wood are likely the worst.

/Please get second and third opinions./

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by darkG

[Kriskm]

I can't tell you how many times I've googled "safe woods for the aquarium" or some such phrase. There's a lot of info out there. Some woods will add lots of tannins and color the water, others not so much. Some woods contain stuff that isn't good for your fish, others contain stuff that isn't good for other plants. Living in the Northwest, I've found that Madrona and Azalea/Rhododendron wood are safe, though they need to be soaked for a long time to get them to sink. "Spider wood" is really just Azalea roots. 

Here's a pretty good article: 

Aquarium Driftwood • Best & Safest Types for your Tank

FISHTANKADVISOR.COM

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Everything you need to know about Aquarium Driftwood. Read more

 

[darkG]

Some woods may be safe enough, but decay too fast. I hear alder may be a good one.