Maturing Brushwood

[kennyman]

I am trying to assemble a tank with brushwood to simulate a mangrove root structure. I have a big pile of brush I cut about three years ago and found some good pieces. The bark has come off easily but this wood is mostly White Cedar and Scotts Pine. Can I cure this enough for it to be fish safe? What is the best way to go about curing it?

Thanks for any help you can give

[darkdep]

An option...you can always treat wood by coating with polyurethane.  This isn't really "curing" the wood, but basically coating it with a waterproof seal.

[jaracas]

here's something i know a little about

i like the idea, but the two woods you have chosen are a big no-no when it comes to small animails.

all the aromatic woods contain toxic, volatile oils known as Phenols.

i would guess even if well sealed there would be some amount of the Phenols leaching because of their nature.

the best woods for the aquarium/terrarium and vivarium are from fruit bearing trees (apple, pear, cherry, walnut, oak etc), anything 'sappy' (ie pine, cedar, beech, maple, sycamore) have high contents of Phenols and are toxic to most life forms in some respect (it has been proven that pine/cedar shavings cause cancer and liver damage in rodents),

hence why they use pine for furniture and cedar for moth balls

[kennyman]

Would anyone have an idea on how long it would, said Phenols, to be leached from the dried barkless branches of these aromatic woods?

[zapisto]

here's something i know a little about

i like the idea, but the two woods you have chosen are a big no-no when it comes to small animails.

all the aromatic woods contain toxic, volatile oils known as Phenols.

i would guess even if well sealed there would be some amount of the Phenols leaching because of their nature.

the best woods for the aquarium/terrarium and vivarium are from fruit bearing trees (apple, pear, cherry, walnut, oak etc), anything 'sappy' (ie pine, cedar, beech, maple, sycamore) have high contents of Phenols and are toxic to most life forms in some respect (it has been proven that pine/cedar shavings cause cancer and liver damage in rodents),

hence why they use pine for furniture and cedar for moth balls

i second this with force.
dont try to put anything 'Sappy' in your tank. or you asking for trouble.

[jaracas]

i dont just mean when it appears to be sappy either.
i'm not exactly sure of how long the phenols remain active, but it is quite some time, years i think.
If you can find Hazel, that would give you the effect you are looking for, but even that would take a good year in the water before it stops leaching, the good thing is, apart from the early alchohols, there arent any toxins that are harmful in it. A slow bake in the oven and a week or so in a bucket of water would be ok.

Also, bear in mind, that any wood we add that isn't branded 'aquarium safe' would probably mould up for a while, even bamboo

[Nelson]

I am trying to assemble a tank with brushwood to simulate a mangrove root structure. I have a big pile of brush I cut about three years ago and found some good pieces. The bark has come off easily but this wood is mostly White Cedar and Scotts Pine. Can I cure this enough for it to be fish safe? What is the best way to go about curing it?

Thanks for any help you can give

I use a lot Moponi wood to give the effect of mangrove roots.  Considering the wood is in fact a root product, the effect is acceptable.  The problem with its use is that the wood is expensive and it takes a fair amount to replicate the look of a mangrove setting.