Many aquarium owners would love to have wood in their aquarium since it can help make an aquarium look more beautiful and more natural.
Many hesitate to add wood though, because they fear the wood may be toxic to their fish.
There are a few steps you can take to safely add wood to your aquarium.
If you check with a reputable fish supplier or aquarium wood supplier, they can probably tell you if a certain wood will be safe.
Better yet is to buy the wood directly from these dealers so you can be more assured to get safe wood.
Generally the wood you choose should be hardwood, like manzanita, oak, hickory and grapevine, and not softwood.
Softwoods, like pine or fir, are more likely to rot in your tank and create a mess.
Softwoods are also resinous and the resins can be toxic.
If you use wood that you find outdoors make sure it is from an area where chemicals like pesticides are not used.
Clean the wood thoroughly by scrubbing to remove any dirt, bark, lichen, moss and other debris.
Wood contains tannins that will leach into the water so it is a good idea to soak the wood first to get the tannins out.
Tannins are naturally occurring chemicals in most wood that can lower the pH levels of your water.
They will also turn your water a brownish color.
Some people like to boil wood first to kill any living organisms.
Boiling also helps to remove the tannins.
Most wood found on the ground will be safe after soaking but boiling can be a good idea.
If the wood was found in water it is an especially good idea to boil it to kill any diseases or other living organisms you don't want in your tank.
Either way, much of the tannin will leach out of the wood after a couple weeks of soaking.
When soaking be sure and replace the water every day or two.