# Walnut branches are they safe in an aquarium??



## Lamplighter (Aug 3, 2012)

I dislike a bare tank it's like canvas waiting for paint, to me.

I cut some fairly large branches down from my neighbors tree, two years ago.

The bark is loose. Is it safe to put some of the branches into an aquarium?


----------



## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

soak em, get them drenched and let them sit , then stick them in the sun for a couple days and do the <sorry i have no idea how to explain it but this> the indian burn motion and your bark should pop right off, I do this with maple roots that i collect from the creeks and stuff around here and it works like a charm.

you dont want to use anything sharp like a box cutter because the lines cut in the wood to remove bark will stay visible forever, usually between being water logged and then drying out fast the bark practically falls off

good luck, post some pics.. I too have grown tired of the bare tank look and |I am currently preparing a nice center piece for myself.


----------



## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Not many species of tree can be used safely in aquariums just off the tree, regardless of how much time has passed. What distinguishes driftwood from simply dead wood is the fact that it has at some point become saturated with water and leeched of any natural chemical defenses. Oak and manzanita are confirmed exceptions, among a small handfull of others. Always remove bark.


----------

