Preparing Wood for Your Aquarium
When you get a new piece of wood for your aquarium, no matter where you get or buy it from, you want to make sure it is safe for your fish, crustaceans, amphibians and reptiles.
Avoid Sap and Pitch
The first thing to check is that it is matured wood with no sap or pitch on it or in it. Pitch contains chemicals that are toxic to fish and invertebrates. Make sure any bark is removed as it is under the bark where sap or pitch is most often found. In most environments, dead wood fully "ages" in about a year from the time it has fallen or been cut down. Avoid pine and cedar (except really old saltwater driftwood) as they both have toxic chemicals than can cause irritation, breathing issues in amphibians and fish.
Clean the Wood
The next thing is to clean it. Use a bristle brush to clean all the surfaces and crevices. Hose the piece off, and run water over the entire piece. A new toothbrush (not previously used) can get into smaller spaces. Remove any soft wood that easily flakes off, rotten sections and any small broken pieces. You can use crazy glue or aquarium silicon to glue a piece back on or strengthen a partially broken branch. Make sure to allow silicon to cure for at least 24 hours before immersing.
If your new wood was previously in another unknown aquarium, you can remove hair and black algae by applying peroxide to the hardest to remove spots, let sit for a minute or so and then scrub with a toothbrush. Rinse very well to make sure no peroxide is left on your wood. Soaking it will also help to ensure it is removed.
Removing Tannins and Sinking Wood
Soak the wood piece in water if you want to remove the tannins and sink it. How long it will take to sink depends on the density of the wood. Some wood will sink in a few weeks while others will still be floating after a few months. Use a large tote or clean bucket to immerse the wood into before pouring boiling water over it. You can flip a longer piece over after a while to do both sides.
If the wood is taking too long to sink (more than a few weeks), you can attach the wood to a heavy flat rock to anchor it underwater. Be carful not to put a piece of rock on the wood as it may shift and fall breaking the glass below it.
Dense woods such as arbutus and old cedar and water-logged wood will sink faster since they are heavy. They also last a long time in your aquarium, depending on how old the wood is to start. Softer woods may not last as long but still work well: a year for smaller lighter pieces and longer for larger pieces. That gives you the excuse to buy new wood for a new tank design! An interesting change for your fish too!
Floating Wood
Corky bark and light woods can offer a permanently floating feature for a fish tank. I always try to have at least one floating feature in my bigger tanks for the fish and crayfish or shrimp that like to use them. It brings them near the surface for us to enjoy and as well as offers them more variety in resting spots. I sometimes use these to feed from as well.
Wood will always leech a certain amount of tannins (tea brown color released into the water) but pre-soaking can remove the excess. Soaking for just a short time allows the tannins to help you re-create an acidic environment "blackwater' species of fish enjoy.
Using Wood In Fresh and Salt Water Tanks
If the wood is from freshwater source such as a river and you want to use it in a freshwater aquarium, then boiling it for 30 minutes or at least pouring boiling water over it for a few minutes will kill any potential parasites or disease. If the piece is from saltwater and going into saltwater, the same is true. If a freshwater or sun-bleached piece is going into saltwater or vice versa, then it's not as important as parasites and diseases do not tend to transfer.
Dry Land Uses of Wood
Of course, if you plan to use the wood piece in a paludarium, terrarium or reptile tank, you don't need to soak it for sinking at all. Scrubbing and boiling will be enough to remove small unwanted critters.
Tip:
Avoid using bleach, peroxide, detergent or soap when do a general clean of your wood. Even a small residue may kill your fish or invertebrates. Rock, canning, or sea salt is safe to use. So is large amounts of baking soda. The baking soda makes the water basic which few organisms can survive in. A high concentration of salt will kill most freshwater organisms and yes, saltwater ones too. It upset the osmostic balance of their bodies. Let the wood sit in contact with salt or baking soda ideally dissolved in water for 10 minutes or more.
Click here to see what wood pieces we have in stock and some of the past ones. This will give you an idea of the style of wood we look for.
