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I just put some weather worn scrub oak branches in my 10 gallon. How did it turn out for you?
Scrub Oak
Hello,
Has anyone used scrub oak in a tank before? I have some small branches I was thinking about using in a future tank but I was not sure how they impact water quality.
Given that my aquarium water does not change in pH at all from the tap, I will waterlog them in a 5 gallon bucket over time and see if the pH, or anything for that matter, changes at all.
If anyone has any experience they can share that would be great!
Has anyone used scrub oak in a tank before? I have some small branches I was thinking about using in a future tank but I was not sure how they impact water quality.
Given that my aquarium water does not change in pH at all from the tap, I will waterlog them in a 5 gallon bucket over time and see if the pH, or anything for that matter, changes at all.
If anyone has any experience they can share that would be great!
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I'm not certain of what you describe as scrub oak as that varies place to place but in general I find oak is fine. It dries well, given time, and leaves a really hard wood without tannin.
But I might throw out that drying is not a quick easy process and takes lots of time. I let nature take care of the time and weathering and do not use any wood that still has bark on it as the layer just under the bark is where much of the sap/tannin is found.
Rather than fight the long hard battle with tannin, I look for wood that is already totally dry.
But I might throw out that drying is not a quick easy process and takes lots of time. I let nature take care of the time and weathering and do not use any wood that still has bark on it as the layer just under the bark is where much of the sap/tannin is found.
Rather than fight the long hard battle with tannin, I look for wood that is already totally dry.
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Hey Sean C,
I see you're from Arizona - scrub oak is the common name and can refer to 4 or 5 different species in your area. Regardless, what PlantedRich said is correct - oak is a great hard wood with little to no tannins, especially when there isn't any bark on it. However, it does need a LONG drying period. I have a slab of white oak (Quercus alba) recently cut from a log (as per a forestry-lumber mill field trip) and it will take about 9-10 months for this to dry out completely in the open air. Now, I could do a kiln, but that would still take 2 months tops, to dry it out.
I see you're from Arizona - scrub oak is the common name and can refer to 4 or 5 different species in your area. Regardless, what PlantedRich said is correct - oak is a great hard wood with little to no tannins, especially when there isn't any bark on it. However, it does need a LONG drying period. I have a slab of white oak (Quercus alba) recently cut from a log (as per a forestry-lumber mill field trip) and it will take about 9-10 months for this to dry out completely in the open air. Now, I could do a kiln, but that would still take 2 months tops, to dry it out.
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I feel this is often overlooked by many who don't deal with wood very much. Time is about the only way I know for wood to dry. And it does takes years for it to dry completely if it is very thick at all. A piece that is 1/2" thick may dry in 8-10 months but a 4 inch thick one may take years!
There is the big difference in kiln dried to lumber use standards and totally dry. When picking up lumber at the store it is still "green" and will likely still have tannin in it.
To get wood like oak that is really dry, I find it has to be up off the ground so that weather can work on all sides of it without bugs, fungus, etc. eating it up.
I can find that wood in places we often overlook. Washes where wood gets washed down and hangs up in trees, etc. is one spot to look. Washed up on the beach in storms is another. Places often missed are the piles of wood left after bulldozers have cleared land or tipped over trees in fields that have been laying out exposed for years.
I find there are two ways to deal with the question of getting wood that works in my tank. I can pick at random and fight the tannin fight for months or I can pick more carefully and let nature do the work.
I'm for not working when I can get by with it!!! :wink2:
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