The Planted Tank Forum banner

Around the Island

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  kick'n wrasse 
#1 ·
I went hiking along manoa ridge yesterday and as we were walking I noticed a lot of trees that has some great structure for my tank. Does anyone know if the trees around here are water safe? aka no toxic chemical leaching.
 
#2 ·
Hey Zach,

Some of the wood is usable but others deffinately leech out tixins. Depends on the tree. Thjere is this one type of tree that some of the members of HAS call Magic wood that has crazy roots that look awesome, but I have never gone to collect it. If you go to HAS I can introduce you to a person that knows everything about everything.

Ken T.
 
#4 ·
The trick is to find stuff that has been dead for a while. If it looks like it's been dead for a while and is still dense and hard, it should be fine.

Are you looking at live stuff? Is it really branchy and angular like Manzanita? If it is then you are likely looking at Strawberry Guava. Manoa Cliff trail has a lot of it. I've used it and it is fine in the aquarium. Just make sure you dry it out well. The other tree that has good structure up there is Ohi`a. The bark is really rough, usually covered with lichens and mosses, the leaves are smallish and round, and it has a nice red flower. It is a really hard wood and although I have never used it personally, it should do fine in the aquarium. I stay away from the stuff because it is becoming somewhat rare and it has cultural significance to native Hawaiians.

If you do plan on collecting wood up in the mountains, be discrete about it as I don't think it's legal. Could be wrong though.
 
#5 ·
the tank is only a 12 gallon, so large amounts of wood are not a issue. Most likely I will be looking for some diftwood near the mangrove trees this coming weekend.

Having a wife with a collecting permit is great sometimes.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top