What Type Of Wood Is This? Its like a reptile wood structure

I have some wood from a few years back that my dads friend gave to me... Its like a reptile wood structure, with 4 pieces of wood all screwed together and stuff. I took out all the screws and put them into separate pieces, then boiled them and am letting them waterlog for my 10 gal tank... Once they are pretty much done ( how long will this take? based on the size?) I plan on zip tying them together so I can make a structure again and put them in the tank? What type of wood is this? I believe it is from Fluker's Deluxe Driftwood, after doing a bunch of research, but still can't find what type of wood it is.. Any suggestions?




Also the big piece, the rest are small

 

It looks like mopani, but could possibly be malaysian. And it will vary but it usually sinks within a week or two.

 

Definitely not Malaysian. It can either be mopanI or grapewood. If it flexes, it’s grapewood. If it is in fact meant for a terrarium I would double check and make sure that it isn’t treated. MopanI is notorious for taking an enternity to release all its tannins, even when boiled multiple times. So either get the carbon or purigen ready if you don’t like tinted water.

 

Definitely not Malaysian. It can either be mopanI or grapewood. If it flexes, it’s grapewood. If it is in fact meant for a terrarium I would double check and make sure that it isn’t treated. MopanI is notorious for taking an enternity to release all its tannins, even when boiled multiple times. So either get the carbon or purigen ready if you don’t like tinted water.

I'm pretty sure it is grapevine after looking at pictures and comparing it to mopani, but what do you mean by flexes? Bendable? I am still thinking it is grape wood though. What is your input on grapewood? Waterlogging time, tannins and all that? Is it a good wood?

 

Grapevine has a little flex to it where you can bend it a bit and it’ll bounce back. Grapewood is usually a no go when it comes to aquariums. They get an unusual amount of that white fungus that new driftwood tends to get when they first get wet and they decay fairly quickly compared to mopani, Malaysian, and manzanita. I’ve heard cases of people giving up on trying to waterlog grapewood and just use slate to weigh it down and some where they got it to sink within a couple days. All depends on the specific piece

 

Grapevine has a little flex to it where you can bend it a bit and it’ll bounce back. Grapewood is usually a no go when it comes to aquariums. They get an unusual amount of that white fungus that new driftwood tends to get when they first get wet and they decay fairly quickly compared to mopani, Malaysian, and manzanita. I’ve heard cases of people giving up on trying to waterlog grapewood and just use slate to weigh it down and some where they got it to sink within a couple days. All depends on the specific piece

Well guess what? My wood is pretty much waterlogged, the 3 pieces I showed you.. They don't really float to the top anymore. The only thing I'm worried about is the tannins but oh what the ****, I wanna put it in my tank really bad.. I plan on taking everything out of my 10 gallon ( my avatar) and then I will probably connect the pieces somehow using tie straps... then I can use fishing line to tie all that dollarweed you see in my tank, the lily pad looking things... I will have to lay the big piece sideways as it is taller than my tank.. but can you believe it? The wood is pretty much waterlogged (I'm pretty sure, I checked late at night), so how bout it? The wood seems pretty hard and stuff, the only thing I'm worried about is the bark, I can peel it off... I have had this wood in my reptile tank for over 2 years, I boiled it so should be good, so I don't know, we will see... As of tannins in the tank, I have these Carbon infused filter pads. Basically a black foam pad thing I can cut to fit my filter. These should work right? Sorry for so many questions lol.

 

Nice! I hear that the tannin situation with grapewood is similar to mopani. I would take the bark off now if possible. That’s going to be the first to go and since grapewood rots faster than most I would deal with it now. Infused pads won’t be as effective as straight carbon or purigen but it’s better than nothing. A 10 gallon might tint up pretty quick but if you keep up with the weekly WC you should be ok.

Never apologize for asking questions! That’s how you learn! Besides, this is a forum. It’s meant for questions!

 

Nice! I hear that the tannin situation with grapewood is similar to mopani. I would take the bark off now if possible. That’s going to be the first to go and since grapewood rots faster than most I would deal with it now. Infused pads won’t be as effective as straight carbon or purigen but it’s better than nothing. A 10 gallon might tint up pretty quick but if you keep up with the weekly WC you should be ok.

Never apologize for asking questions! That’s how you learn! Besides, this is a forum. It’s meant for questions!

Ok cool, how should I go about stripping the bark? I mean its pretty hard, not soft or anything... And this won't effect anything will it, as it is already waterlogged... I don't think using my fingernail will work out well.... I will be trying to put the wood in today, so hopefully my guppies won't mind a bit of a hassle..

I have some drift wood that I soaked just for a couple days and now the pieces are water logged. Should I remove the bark? I don't see it as a problem, like decomposing or anything because of the way it feels but I could be wrong. When I peel it off, the bark is hard and very bendable, as in you couldn't peel it apart or rip it in half.. Will I be okay or should I peel it?

 

Unless they was something obviously sharp or a danger to my tank critters, I’d leave it alone because that’s the look I prefer.

 

Unless they was something obviously sharp or a danger to my tank critters, I’d leave it alone because that’s the look I prefer.

Does it increase tannins or anything?

 

yes you get more tannins. the bark is solely up to you and your aesthetic preference.

 

A longer soak will help with tannins. When I was shopping for driftwood on fosters website they recommend soaking for at least two weeks I think to minimize water discoloring and tannins.

 

Oh, I thought when you said you could peel it off that it was already pretty loose. Removing it won’t affect anything, but if it’s not already crumbling off then I wouldn’t bother and just put the piece in