# driftwood question (cedar question)



## gillenws (Jul 13, 2009)

alright so i've done my searches and i know that cedar is bad for frogs. my question is: are all aromatic woods bad for frogs? i ask because i was recently down in atlantic beach, NC and found some great gnarly wood and noticed that the trees are all over the place down there. these trees are very old and long since dead. i brought some pieces home for use in a viv and when i broke them i noticed that they smelled, somewhat similar to cedar. i did a search for cedar and they did not look like the trees i had seen, but i also am not sure where to do the proper searches for regional plant species. if anyone knows what these trees are or can point me in the right direction i'd really appreciate it.

-will


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## gillenws (Jul 13, 2009)

granted, this is someone's picture from bermuda, but the tree looks similar...

Google Image Result for http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/2102066551_d1bf2005b0_b.jpg


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## gillenws (Jul 13, 2009)

anyone with any knowledge on this?


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## Jeffey_Kasparek (Jan 21, 2005)

Not sure where to suggest initiating your search other than scanning pictures in the images section of Google once you have an idea what family it is in then narrow your search from there. As a word of caution however, I remember hearing once that the aromatic compounds (phenolic or otherwise) actually create a fairly potent toxin (I wanted to suggest cyanide but I'm not positive) when mixed with ammonia, though this seems purely anecdotal and I cannot locate any sources on the matter. In any case, Cedar Oil has quite a few applications as a natural pesticide without a clear understanding of why, other than it disrupts neural sensors in the organisms. Thus, if it smells similar to cedar, it might be a similar compound with similar effects, so I'd suggest shying away from it or not having frogs in that one tank.

Take Care,

Jeff


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