Can I use this wood??

Hey guys

I know it is difficult to determine the answer to my question without a photo... But I have done a few tests that might be able to help

Hopefully when i'm near my own computer (tomorrow or following day) I will be able to upload the photo's needed!

I picked them up just above the beach (The grassy bits before you find the beach). I'm not worried about pollution etc because I found them on a beach near LITERALLY nothing.

The first noticeable thing is that the pieces are very light, as though while living there had been termites in there. Now that they are dead, there aren't.
After soaking in hot water for an hour, the wood got MUCH softer, and I can make indentations with my nails with a little bit of force. The wood was also very bouyant before I soaked it, but is better now, doesn't exactly sink, but is at the least waterlogged. I noticed that the wood did soak up a lot of water, as in when I put half of it into a glass, the water soaked almost to the top of the wood. The wood is also very light in colour, as in a few shades down on a light brown, so almost a cream white, but is still clearly a wood colour at the same time. The surface on the wood, besides the parts where termites had fun, is very very smooth with slight cracks running down parts such as where branches split etc. Once soaked, they went much darker too, finding a colour much closer to oak.

Hope the above helps, and thank you guys for the help!

PS: I just cut a small hole in the wood to get below the first few layers, and the colour is ever so slightly darker, but by a very small degree. Still no smell from the wood after soaking.

 

Heres a photo of one of the pieces.

They all look just like this

 

Sounds like it might rot easily.

 

Give it a try. My main worry would be salt, but it seems you've rinsed most of it out by soaking it.

I use drift wood in my tanks too, it's a great free resource. I don't like to pay good money for stuff ripped out of habitats and transported halfway round the world.

The main problem I've found is that it can take months to sink!

 

I completely agree with you. It irritates me that I have to pay for something that is rightfully not anybody's property.

I'm not worried about salt, or not sinking etc etc. I WILL soak this wood well before using it as an extra precaution. I plan to boil it for 5 days when I get home, then soak it for a good month if needed. But like psalm18.2 said, I'm worried it could rot easily. I assume that baking it for a long time before I boil it could maybe help this? Or not?

Would it be better if I tried it in one of my spare smaller tanks and see what effect it has on my water?

Thanks for the help!

 

Well, I never boiled any wood, but I do usually let it dry in the sun for a couple of months before putting it into my tank and waiting for it to sink.

None of my wood has rotted as I collected driftwood that was in the water for some time I think. The easily rotted parts are long gone and the preserved lignified wood is all that remains. If this is rotting it is doing so very slowly and not causing any issues.

Mine has been in the tank 6 years and no rot. Still feels firm.

Again, I say, give it a try.

 

Okay thanks!

Really hope it works, 'cause there is SOO much where I found these

 

Looks like a very pretty peice of wood, hope it works!

 

It is! This is just one of the mid-sized ones I picked up

I have quite a few from very small to quite big and the larger ones look better than the rubbish my LFS and any FS near me sells. I'm going back there tomorrow before I leave home for Johannesburg!

I'm going to take ALL OF IT!!!! Mwahahaha!