# Is driftwood from the Fraser River safe in an aquarium?



## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

Like the title says, would it be okay to pick up driftwood from the banks of the Fraser River and use it in an aquarium? Of course, it would be baked to sterilize it first. My bigger concern is not being aware of the species of wood. Any thoughts?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-chat-9/driftwood-questions-25622/


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## Ra's al Ghul (Apr 28, 2010)

April,has some nice Manzanitta wood checkout her shop. I wouldn't bother collecting wood,not worth the risk just my opinion


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## Ra's al Ghul (Apr 28, 2010)

John I think you posted the wrong link


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Actually , post 2,3 & 4 were regarding wood from the he Fraser. I know there was another thread somewhere about wood from the Fraser, but for the life of me I could not locate it lol


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

5 million salmon come up that river every year. I sure hope its safe. Otherwise I have been eating contaminated fish. LOL. I have a piece of wood in my tank from the Vedder river which flows into the Fraser river not that it really matters but I have never had a problem with it. Obviously some woods work better in tanks than others. You want to find a log that is hard. Meaning your finger nail doesnt sink into it when pushed hard. If you are worried about the wood, sink it in a cooler or bin and test the warter every couple of days to see how it effects it. I agree that the type of wood will be a factor. Although I have no idea what type is in my tank except I know it looks good. I collect alot of my wood at Pitt Lake and along the Pitt river when setting up a tank. Try to atleast boil the wood before adding it to the tank. I once brought home a log from Alouette river added it to the tank without boiling it. Random algea took over my tank and it was a pain to get rid of. I think its safer than most people make it out to be. Or you can pay for wood from your LFS/ Good luck


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

I sure hope it safe too lol have had my fair share of salmon as well. Personally I don't know about the Fraser and if it's safe. But the I think the difference between the 5 million salmon and the wood is the salmon swim up it to inevitably die anyway and , unlike the wood, they are in it for a short period of time as opposed to soaking up any contamination for long periods of time. I could be wrong but just my thoughts on that. There are plenty other places to find good wood if the Fraser is any concern. I surely have seen alot of nice stuff from the skytrain, along the banks thru New West and have often thought about getting some myself, be unsure like everyone else appears to be lol I choose better safe than sorry. I have found most of my nice pieces in creeks. The one that feeds and comes out of Burnaby Lake in general. Maybe ask FXbillie where he collects the stuff he sells on here. Good looking pieces and apparently no complaints yet.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

Hello. i f you want give it a try just boil it good. my brother has a piece he found at the Fraser. we boiled it for 2 to 4 hrs can't remember the exact time. anyway he has had it in his tank for about a year now and no problem. like jbyoung00008 said no soft wood, and imo no pine it will smell like pine sol. Cheers


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## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

*I disagree with boiling and bleaching*

I think wood from the Fraser should be safe. I would just soak it for a couple of days in the bathtub before putting it in the aquarium to dilute any pollutants it may have absorbed.

Personally, I don't understand why everyone always suggests sterilizing driftwood they've collected from around here--particularly from marine beaches. It seems to me that any of the microorganisms from a temperate climate that could cause diseases in local fishes are unlikely to thrive in a tropical aquarium--but that's just my opinion. I think you're far more to pick up a disease from the local fish store than you are from a piece of wood! And I don't think boiling is going to do much to remove chemical contaminants. Bleaching is just adding one more toxic chemical to the mix, IMO.

I have driftwood from White Rock beach and Porteau Cove in my tank. All I did was rinse it off in the bathtub before putting it in my aquarium. However, I did that before I cycled the tank or put any fish in it.

The one thing I would be careful about is putting cedar in your aquarium. It contains chemicals that could leach into the water and be noxious to fish. I think most of our other local wood species shouldn't be a problem.

Also, be aware that driftwood may stain your water a brownish colour, and lower the pH over time. I'm compensating with some chipped oyster shells in my filter. The brownish colour is steadily diminishing, but I think it will take about six months from the time I first submerged it for it to disappear completely with weekly partial water changes.

Just my 2¢.


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## enzotesta (Dec 20, 2011)

Exactly. why waste your money with the grossly overpriced "manzilla" wood or whatever you call it. Find some along the river banks. 
I use sticks and twigs from the neighborhood...lol 
My water parameters are ok. The water gets a little acidic but we know how to fix that. Crushed coral in a filter. 
All good


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## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks for all the feedback. Getting it from the Fraser is my husband's idea after he realized what I was paying for my driftwood  he also works close to the banks. I do live near a creek and close to Burnaby Lake. Honestly, I never really thought about just taking a walk to see what I could find. Seemed kind of stetchy to me since I wouldn't know what kind of wood it was or to what it had been exposed.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

We've got some beautiful huge pieces of driftwood from Pitt Lake in our tanks. No problems so far.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

all my tanks have wood from lake cowichan ,

if you have a bbq with a side burner and a big ole pot, boil it , as best you can if its too big flip it around, scrub soak boil bake, resoak, remember sandstone and slate are aquarium safe after scrub boil bake and you can drill through it with a simple drill and regular bits , and screw it to your wood with a stainless screw to ensure it will sink...

my devils
there is a link to my thread on mfk, and you can see pics of my big guys and my wood,

no issues .... all i can say is avoid cedar and if you cant identify it dont use it,.... always cut off or break off a section to make sure it isnt cedar , the oils and stuff in the wood will leach out and cause harm

that being said im not paying out the a** for manzanita #1 too expensive #2 arent these rainforests in jeopardy already?


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## Epok (Jun 20, 2011)

I have a bunch of peices in my tank from the fraser and from alouette river both are great!! no problems.


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