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Wood

Norman Fenske

Member
Messages
69
Location
Richmond Va
Sorry if this is kind of a dumb question but I figured I would ask, just like with leaves it seems there is the preferred type of leaf and then there are others that work that you can use like Oak. So here is my question yes I understand you can buy all different types of wood to go in your Apisto tank just wondering if its possible or not to use branches from local area?? Also guess if its okay they have to dried and cleaned so not bugs or worse gets into the tank. Any ideas or is this a waste of time? Thanks
 

Norman Fenske

Member
Messages
69
Location
Richmond Va
I did look into this a little more Oak seems to be okay ( 2 for 1 deal with Oak, can use the leaves and the branches provided there dead and clean ) Azalea but not sure if they mean the same as you plant in your yard but if so I have a few that died and with some trimming and cleaning might look pretty good. Crepe myrtle. I did see a rather decent size list I was just going by what I have in my yard. Any thoughts on this maybe??
 

audigex

New Member
Messages
6
Oak is definitely fine. Avoid anything that produces cones/pinecones, though!

Here's a far more comprehensive list from another forum I frequent - I don't want to post the link as I'm a new member, but if a mod says it's okay I'll add a link: Either way, credit for compiling this list goes to the user "Clownman". This list is not Apistogramma specific.

Whatever you do, AVOID these: they are seriously toxic in a fish tank.
Pine
Ivy
Walnut
Yew​

Other "avoid" woods:
lilac, seeds are poisonous,
ivy poisonous
Grape rots very quickly
Cedar
Cypress
Spruce
Sumac
Horse chestnut - conkers are poisonous when young and fresh​

Maple and Hazel are argued about, some say they're fine, others report problems (possibly depending on the fish, or other factors like your pH/Hardness), while Eucalyptus is probably best avoided - it's safe when it stops leeching oil, but it's hard to tell when it's finished

Safe wood for fish include
Sycamore...
Apple, bark on ok
Pear
Cherry
Fruit wood (but should be dried thoroughly because of the sugary sap)
Heather wood, the twiggy bits are great for nano tanks
Oak, ok even with bark
Beech
Hawthorn
Birch must be totally dry (no sap) and free of bark because it contains pitch
cork bark​
 

Norman Fenske

Member
Messages
69
Location
Richmond Va
We may have looked at the same site the one I looked at a site that had 30 or more different types of wood you can use. I like the idea of Oak where I live lots of Oak my yard has none but in the fall I get Oak leaves from everyone else. So back to the wood look for dead branches of Oak clean them off soak them in very hot water to kill and bugs or whatever and if they should float I can always weigh them down with a rock. Pretty much trying to recreate water environment where Apisto's come from although how accurate can it be if I will be using Oak leaves and branches, well maybe simulated environment.
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
Bald cypress (Taxodium) wood is usually safe, even though it is a conifer. I soak any new wood in my rain barrels until it sinks. Some pieces may take 6 to 12 months before they sink.
 

Norman Fenske

Member
Messages
69
Location
Richmond Va
Based on what I have read and the responses I was thinking of going to local river where lots of trees that have fallen in the river have been submerged for a long time. The idea provided I can tell if its a safe variety of wood cutting some branches to take home would lessen the time needed to soak before they sink. Just thinking this would save lots of time??
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
Yes, that's what I do. Although if you're using it in a breeding tank it might be good to give it a mild bleach soak to kill off Hydra, which can kill baby Apistos. You can also let it dry completely to kill Hydra, but then you have to resoak again, which always takes longer than drying.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
How about Osage orange?
Maclura pomifera isn't a common tree in the UK, and I've never tried it's wood.

I know it is rot resistant, so if you had old dead wood it should be OK.

If the wood was still bright orange, I might give it a miss.

cheers Darrel
 

mrjbacon

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
72
Location
Ohio
Hi all,Maclura pomifera isn't a common tree in the UK, and I've never tried it's wood.

I know it is rot resistant, so if you had old dead wood it should be OK.

If the wood was still bright orange, I might give it a miss.

cheers Darrel

It still has some yellowish/greenish/orangyness coloration to it but I know for certain it has been dead for at least 15 years. It's been in a giant pile of downed trees and large rocks ever since my folks bought their house when I was 15 and I'm 31 now. I have two large pieces of it, If I think about it I will take a picture of them, they're pretty cool pieces.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
It still has some yellowish/greenish/orangyness coloration to it but I know for certain it has been dead for at least 15 years.
It should be fine then, and pretty suitable wood.

This one apparently was blown over in 1954 (in the <"Tyler Arboretum">).

OsageOrange.jpg


cheers Darrel
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
There was a big old Osage Orange at the school campus down the street from me. The fruits were fabulous for juggling! The school cut it down a few years ago because it kept denting cars and injuring pedestrians. The school was formerly a liberal arts college, and the tree was presumably planted by Botany professors and students in the early 1900's. When the college moved out to a bigger campus in another city, the Southern Baptist Seminary took over the campus. I think that tree held a grudge, like the Whomping Willow of Hogwarts.
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
has any of you ever tried "Salix cinerea" (willow tree family, i guess) in your tanks? -i have never seen it on any lists, but i thought it might be suitable, since it grows in marsh/swampy areas.
plus it's branches looks very much like what i have seen in videos like this.

-r
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
has any of you ever tried "Salix cinerea" (willow tree family, i guess) in your tanks? -i have never seen it on any lists, but i thought it might be suitable, since it grows in marsh/swampy areas.
plus it's branches looks very much like what i have seen in videos like this.-r
The wood is really soft, I think some people have fed it to Panaqolus spp. etc.

I've grown the twigs in the tank (if they are green when to add them, they will quickly produce roots). Have a look at these couple of posts (on UKAPS) <"60cm shallow....."> and <"Harvesting your own...">.

This is Salix fragilis, but nearly any Willow will root in the same way.

p7033732_zpsvbbw4tjr-jpg.88779


cheers Darrel
 

rasmusW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
455
Hi all, The wood is really soft, I think some people have fed it to Panaqolus spp. etc.

I've grown the twigs in the tank (if they are green when to add them, they will quickly produce roots). Have a look at these couple of posts (on UKAPS) <"60cm shallow....."> and <"Harvesting your own...">.

This is Salix fragilis, but nearly any Willow will root in the same way.

p7033732_zpsvbbw4tjr-jpg.88779


cheers Darrel


Cool.. -thanks Darrel. Great to know.
But just to clarify".. -"soft wood" is nomally not being used as it rotten faster, right? (rookie question, i know:) )

-r
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
Note about "soft wood" meaning: Foresters (in North America at least; not sure about other continents) use "hardwood" and "softwood" to mean flowering trees (Angiosperms) and conifer trees (Gymnosperms), respectively. Willow (Salix) is a "hardwood" tree with soft wood. Bald cypress (Taxodium) is a "softwood" tree with hard wood. Clear as mud? But yes "soft" woods (whether from hardwood or softwood trees) generally rot quicker.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
Cool.. -thanks Darrel. Great to know. But just to clarify".. -"soft wood" is normally not being used as it rotten faster, right?
Yes, that is the one. Larger amounts of lignin in the wood make the wood denser, and more resistant to rotting.
Note about "soft wood" meaning: Foresters (in North America at least; not sure about other continents) use "hardwood" and "softwood" to mean flowering trees (Angiosperms) and conifer trees (Gymnosperms), respectively.
Same in the UK, technically "soft wood" is the wood from any Gymnosperm, even when it is a hard, rot resistant wood from Yew (Taxus baccata) or Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).
Willow (Salix) is a "hardwood" tree with soft wood. Bald cypress (Taxodium) is a "softwood" tree with hard wood. Clear as mud? But yes "soft" woods (whether from hardwood or softwood trees) generally rot quicker.
That one.

cheers Darrel
 

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