normal bamboo in my tank?

[josh11551]

can i put fresh bamboo that is growing outside of my house into my fish tank?
i do plan on taking it out (if i put it in) when i see the first site of rotting.


i don't know if this is the proper place to post feel free to move it mods

 

[Aquarist]

Good afternoon,

Bamboo is not an aquatic plant to my understanding. The roots like to be in water but the rest should remain above the water. Same for the Lucy Bamboo sold in stores.

Ken

 

[josh11551]

ken i ripped it off at the bottom and the roots aren't attached it is just the chute of bamboo so i just want it for decor i dont want it to grow...

 

[Aquarist]

Hello Josh,

I have a feeling it will eventually rot and create a mess. I wouldn't recommend it.

Ken

 

[josh11551]

what if i took it out at the first sign of rot? is the bamboo poisonous to guppies?

 

[Aquarist]

Josh, in the link above there is more information from another thread that you may find helpful. Take a look at the post by SirDarkSol (SDS).

Ken

 

[Nutter]

I would not recommend putting freshly cut bamboo into any aquarium. Some Bamboo contains toxins & is not good for your fish. Anything that still contains the sap & is not a live plant should not be placed in an aquarium containing fish. If you have some dead & dried pieces of the bamboo, that is safe to use as long as the plant was not exposed to any poisons when it was alive.

 

[Kunsthure]

I read on another forum that people used polyurethane (I think) to seal the bamboo first. They made sure that the inside was well-coated too. I'd never need to waste money on driftwood if I was sure I could use the bamboo because I have a ton of that evil junk in my yard.

-Lisa

 

[Nutter]

You can seal bamboo with marine grade polyurethane varnish but it still needs to be dead & dry otherwise the varnish will peel over time causing all sorts of problems for fish & plants. Dead dry (sap free) Bamboo does not need to be sealed at all so there is little point in the practice.