Removing bark.

[Mettle]

So I found a really interesting branch the other day when I was taking a stroll through some neighbourhood woods. I'd like to remove the bark from it and then ensure that it's properly dryed so that I can use it in the future either in a fish or reptile tank.

Was wondering if anyone knew the best way of going about this?

I got some bark off simply by peeling at it. But maybe there's an easier way?

[Jeff1192]

I had to do this with a couple of pieces of maple a while back (not for an aquarium though). I found that if I let the wood dry a couple of months first, the bark just peeled right off in big pieces. Don't know if that would work with all wood but it certainly worked well with the maple.

Jeff

[kennyman]

Yea any wood I use is either long dead wood that has dried up in the tree for a few years before breaking off and falling to the ground, or I soak it in a barrel for a season or so. If the bark wont come off it easily than it is not really matured enough for use anyway. Thats why driftwood is always talked about. It has died, fell in a lake or river, soaked there and eventually washed up on shore to bleach in the sun. Gotta love driftwood 

[Mettle]

Dritwood is good. But I've never found any that I'd like to use... maybe if I was back in BC it'd be easier.

[kennyman]

heh I imagine out there you cant walk up the beaches without having to step over it.

there is probably loads of it along the Ottawa river but its the kind of thing you want to go canoing to get.

[Jesse]

Maybe bake it on the oven for a bit to dry it out, and it could possibly peel off easier.

[Vizerdrix]

Wouldn't the type of wood make a difference?  Aren't there kinds that are potentially toxic to aquariums?  I remember having to remove a piece of well soaked and seasoned driftwood from a tank because it was killing the fish!  I don't want Mettle ending up with something nasty in their tank!

[Mettle]

Thanks for that bit of insight Vizerdrix. I wasn't even thinking along those lines... Will definitely need to identify the wood type before I use it.

[kennyman]

White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) has to be one of the most toxic woods along with Eastern Red (Juniperus virginiana)  But those woods both have properties that when concentrated make them rather nasty. I worked a summer in extracting essential oils from Thuja for sale to manufacturing companies for use in household cleaners/deodorizers and whatnot! And Juniper berries, well aren't they used in creating gin? Now that stuff is poison!

But anyway . . . the point is that, soaked enough to leach out these oils, even Thuja is fine to use in an aquarium. I can attest to that as I have cedar branhes that were cut when dead, soaked, dried and soaked some more in one of my tanks right this very moment. And it has been in there with the same fish, and a crab for three years now.

[renadia]

I have a piece of driftwood that used to be in my garden in my 75 gal   
I live in Britania along the river and there are some pretty nice pieces around here!

I asked the question recently since one of our members had a bad experience with fresh wood and lost some valuable fish.
I was recommende to boil it for a few hours and if I could to bake it for a few hours. Some people bake for many hours but my piece was very dry to start with and was to long for the oven so I didn't do that part.  The other thing to do is to soak it. I let it soak in a plastic bin for a few days to see if the water would change colour (seems that some pieces will change the colour and need to be soaked seperatly for a while)  and since there had almost no change to the water I added it to the tank. It looks great but I have to add rocks on top of it because it's not at the point of being able to stay under water by itself    The fish love it since it's rounded they have a great hiding spot under it but it's big enough that we can clearly see them 

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=20694.msg147451#msg147451

[Mettle]

I've been to Britannia park/beach a few times and it seems that there's never any driftwood on shore... Probably because it gets cleaned up on a fairly regular basis. Unfortunately a lot of the other area is private property so that's a no go for me making my way through their yeards, haha.

[Brine]

They probably do clean the beach regularly. I have found a few nice pieces along the river just downstream from the Westboro beach. Just riding my bike slowly on the bike path and looking in the bushes at the edge of the river. The driftwood gets caught in the bushes and when the water level drops there you have dry driftwood ripe for the picking.

[renadia]

I've been to Britannia park/beach a few times and it seems that there's never any driftwood on shore... Probably because it gets cleaned up on a fairly regular basis. Unfortunately a lot of the other area is private property so that's a no go for me making my way through their yeards, haha.

You need to be more adventurous  If youwalk in the direction of Andrew Aydon Park there's a recreational path, you will see some trails that bring you to the water. the water level is a bit higher now but until lat week you were able to walk on the sand quite a ways out. So go on the left side after the beach, that's my neibourhood I have a cold but if I take the dog out later today I will see how the water level is and if I find anything interesting I will let you know.

Diane

[Mettle]

Fantastic! Thanks Diane.

I think I might be around that area tonight. I sometimes am out that way for poi on Mondays. (For those that are curious: POI.) I just normally try not to stay too late as the crowd shifts over the course of the evening and since I'm not into some of the more illicit activities that those that show up later are I take my leave, lol.

I remember living out on Vancouver Island in BC. I used to ALWAYS find amazing pieces of wood on the beach. I was chronic for bringing them home, too. Had a big pile of sticks in the backyard, haha. Some were really cool... Since we didn't have much money when I was growing up they formed my arsenal of toy guns, swords, etc. Many were surprisingly well shaped for that, too!

[renadia]

Fantastic! Thanks Diane.

I think I might be around that area tonight. I sometimes am out that way for poi on Mondays. (For those that are curious: POI.) I just normally try not to stay too late as the crowd shifts over the course of the evening and since I'm not into some of the more illicit activities that those that show up later are I take my leave, lol.

I remember living out on Vancouver Island in BC. I used to ALWAYS find amazing pieces of wood on the beach. I was chronic for bringing them home, too. Had a big pile of sticks in the backyard, haha. Some were really cool... Since we didn't have much money when I was growing up they formed my arsenal of toy guns, swords, etc. Many were surprisingly well shaped for that, too!

lol so you a good Koi dancer thrower???    Checked and the water is still far go down the path and you will find something for sure, the water usually covers this area in the spring and early summer.

Good luck!

Diane