Building My Own Custom Driftwood Decor... Driftwood Sources?

[JChristophersAdventures]

I am going to build an extensive custom "Bonsai" style show piece for my 75G tank. I am planning to use Manzanita wood... I like the mottled red and tan look. It seems to be "branchy" enough without being spindly like Spider wood and doesn't usually have the high tannin content of Malaysian driftwood.

I will be using super glue and tissue paper (standard procedure) along with sawdust to custom build the piece. The plan is to build it in two complete sections the fit together tightly at the bottom, so as a total it spans most of the way across the tank from left to right, but I will still be able to get it into the tank past the center support beam.

Outside of a few floaters, the plan is to have the majority of plants attached to this piece... buce, java fern and mosses. The idea is to segment the tank into about 4 areas, mainly in the top half to break up the line-of-site for mid-level and upper level fish, as well a provide a great environment for the shrimp.

Having said all this, I have been shopping around on Etsy and eBay... not that the prices are bad, but I thought by buying smaller pieces that are not good stand-alone quality, I could put it together without spending a small fortune. So far, It seems as though this is not going to happen for much less than buying 2 fairly nice larger pieces and putting them together. So, my question is: Can anyone point me to other sources for Manzanita branches for me to look into?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Guppysnail]

Do you know anyone on the west coast. Most of what’s on EBay (I’ve dealt with that seller) is collected fallen branches they clean up. 

[JChristophersAdventures]

@Guppysnail Unfortunately, I do not and I reside rather centrally between the Rockies and Appalachians. However, as an update, I have located what appears to be a reputable supplier at some really good prices (as low as $1.40/ft if you buy 50') for sandblasted or natural red Manzanita at: https://manzanita.com/ 

They are located in Ranchita, CA. Yes, 50' is a lot to get the best discount, but their others prices seem reasonable, too, and you can combine your bigger and smaller pieces to reach the 50' threshold... I would just then sell off the excess to one of the LFS nearby, at a really low price to recoup some money and lower my over-all costs even further. I probably won't use more than 12'-15' by my guess-timation.

I am really looking forward to building (and planting) it. Thanks.