Driftwood

chetrod · 11-10-2006, 02:49 PM

Can you use driftwood in a saltwater set up. I have half the tank with live rocks and the other side is empty. Living close to the ocean there is plenty laying around or even purchase it. I know I would want to let it dry up and clean it very well if not purchased. However has any one used it in their aquascaping?

geekdafied · 11-10-2006, 03:03 PM

I suppose it would be ok because if you think about the old shipwrecks which are wooden make great reefs. Just make sure it doesnt have any inpurities in it.

Tangster · 11-10-2006, 04:01 PM

No never use drift in your tank it will cause all kinds of Nitrates and Phosphates problems Being wood it will decays and no telling what other stuff it may have absorbed only to be leached back into your tank.

geekdafied · 11-10-2006, 04:33 PM

if it causes all kinds of problems, why didnt do that when I had it in all my freshwater aquariums??? My nitrates were ALWAYS ZERO. It takes hundreds of years for wood to decay in saltwater. SALT is a preservative. Heat and humidity causes wood to decay. High heat in excess of 90+ degrees along with high humidity(such as rain forests) causes it to decay quickly. I guess tangster has never watched any national geographic shows where they show people diving on ship wrecks which are made of wood from like 200 years ago that are teaming with all kinds of life living right on the wood.

However, I would still watch out for leaching of other chemicals that could have absorbed into the wood. Boil it if its small enough to kill off anything living in it and hopefully boil out a lot of the impurities.

amcarrig · 11-10-2006, 04:49 PM

You simply can't compare the ocean to a captive environment....the ocean has a much better filtration system than we can recreate in our tanks. Throughout the years, this question has come up numerous times and it seems that most hobbiests agree that putting driftwood in a tank is not a good idea. Opinions may have changed recently but I would think that if they have, you'd be seeing some pictures of tanks with driftwood in them.

geekdafied · 11-10-2006, 06:55 PM

If we can't compare the ocean to our captive tanks, then what are we trying to recreate? I am sure some of us have filtration that is just as good without the pollutants from man made chemicals.

If it did not effect my freshwater tank, It will not effect saltwater. I tested the water in my freshwater tank weekly cause of everything I had in it. Aslong as you boil the driftwood like I said previously you should be fine. Here is a link to some do's and don''t I just found.
Driftwood Dos and Don'ts by Tom Haupenthal

RAVEN · 11-10-2006, 08:10 PM

The acids in the driftwood will cause problems in SW. In addition, wood decays more in SW. FW and FW fish are a completely different animal, you cant compare the 2 when it comes to pollutants. SW fish are much more sensitive to changes in their environment. Just look at whats going on in the oceans today with acid rain, global warming and pollution. Reefs and fish are dying off. The oceans are so vast that they can buffer and dilute changes, that is why things like wood and sunken ships along with other types of pollution do not affect the fish, but the oceans are reaching their limit.

As far as FW fish are concerned, they live in lakes, rivers and ponds of all sizes that contain large amounts of peat, wood and plant material. FW fish have evolved to live in these environments. Many FW fish thrive in these conditions. Just look at the South American Amazon fish like Discus, Rams and Neons which thrive in black water aquariums and low pH.

Sorry to ramble on, but I wouldnt take the chance on driftwood in a small closed SW system!

SAW39 · 11-10-2006, 08:45 PM

I think this is a very good question. But, I haven't seen any specific data to back up anyone's arguments either pro or con. The post by Geekdafied discussed freshwater tanks, not salt water, but he makes a better point with the comment about wooden shipwrecks teeming with life. (However, I don't recall seeing shipwrecks on TV with coral on them, just algae and some anemones) Amcarrig also makes a good point -- why don't we see driftwood in people's saltwater aquariums? It may only be aesthetics -- the wood doesn't match the rest of the decor.

We may not get a definitive answer until one of us tries it. But I would clean off the driftwood first and look closely and remove nails, screws or other metal in the wood.

RAVEN · 11-10-2006, 09:03 PM

You missed my point completely about the ocean being so vast, that a ship wreck would not affect SW fish.

Adelaide Aquariums information pages:*Equipment for marine aquaria

Look under decorations and substrate

amcarrig · 11-11-2006, 06:20 AM

Something else to consider is the amount of pressure that these shipwrecks are under which, no doubt, would prevent most of the wood from falling apart for very long periods of time.