What kind of wood should I be looking for?

[Hilde]

Originally Posted by wondabread

As for rocks, people sometimes use the vinegar test. I don't think it works enough to trust the results.

Yeh, I read someone had problems from rock that did not fizz from vinegar test. Seems it does not always create enough acid.

[jaidexl]

To test rocks, just use a test reagent, many of the nitrate and nitrite reagents are hydrochloric or acetic acid, check the label for the words or look for a little dissolving hand. No need to buy a whole bottle of muriatic when most of us have the test kits already.

9% acetic pickling vinegar works better than 'regular' vinegar, which is usually 5%.

Make sure to scrape the rock's surface first, too, different minerals can coat rocks over time and give a false result with the fizz test. If it fizzes once, scrub all the crevices well, soak it in vinegar for a day and test it again.

[nickcamp12345]

Originally Posted by jaidexl

To test rocks, just use a test reagent, many of the nitrate and nitrite reagents are hydrochloric or acetic acid, check the label for the words or look for a little dissolving hand. No need to buy a whole bottle of muriatic when most of us have the test kits already.

9% acetic pickling vinegar works better than 'regular' vinegar, which is usually 5%.

Make sure to scrape the rock's surface first, too, different minerals can coat rocks over time and give a false result with the fizz test. If it fizzes once, scrub all the crevices well, soak it in vinegar for a day and test it again.

thanks i know i have vinegar at my house so next time i see some cool rocks on the ground i'll scrub and test them.

[jaidexl]

One more point, in the rare occasion that you soak a rock in vinegar for a day to remove any foreign alkaline deposits, and it turns out to be safe for the tank, soak it in a bucket of clean water for a few weeks before putting it in the tank, just to make sure all the vinegar it absorbs gets diluted back out. Or else it could affect your pH.

[nickcamp12345]

Originally Posted by jaidexl

One more point, in the rare occasion that you soak a rock in vinegar for a day to remove any foreign alkaline deposits, and it turns out to be safe for the tank, soak it in a bucket of clean water for a few weeks before putting it in the tank, just to make sure all the vinegar it absorbs gets diluted back out. Or else it could affect your pH.

yeah. if im going to get rocks from my backyard, im going to be sure they are as clean as i could possibly get them. i'd hate to introduce a parasite or worms or something into the tank. i'll clean it first, test it with vinegar, clean again and i should be good.

[nickcamp12345]

Originally Posted by Hilde

Yeh, I read someone had problems from rock that did not fizz from vinegar test. Seems it does not always create enough acid.

doesn't it mean the rock is good for the tank if it doesnt fizz?

[jaidexl]

it either means that, or it may be an alkaline rock and the vinegar just isn't acidic enough to cause a reaction, Still, the rock might cause parameter fluctuations over time in the tank.

[addo]

I use maple and oak twigs in my tanks with no problem, i just pick them right of the trees after they shed their leaves and nip the buds of. I live in Sweden though so your maple and oak might be different.

[nickcamp12345]

what about a tulip tree? I have a pretty big one in my backyard and the branches usually come off in crazy shapes.

[Hilde]

Originally Posted by addo

I use maple and oak twigs in my tanks with no problem, i just pick them right of the trees after they shed their leaves and nip the buds of.

I read:
Sappy' (ie pine, cedar, beech, maple, sycamore) have high contents of Phenols and are toxic to most life forms in some respect. All of the aromatic woods contain toxic, volatile oils known as Phenols. The best woods for the aquariums are from fruit bearing trees (apple, pear, cherry, walnut, oak etc.)