# driftwood what do yall use?



## dirtbomb (Nov 29, 2011)

Hey yall working on my materials list for my new project and started thinking about my drift wood. the only wood ive used is mopani wood. the only reason i purched it was bc from what i read its very hardy and wont rot. well that may be true however the wieght of these peices is crazy bc they are too heavy. anyhow i ran across on ebay a great stump peice its advertised as driftwood found in the rivers of tennessee . it looks similar to the driftwood found at fishstores. Anyhow just curious to hear of what types of driftwood yall are using.

Thanks


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Ghost wood is my favorite viv wood. It is long lasting in humid conditions and I love the weathered, twisted look. I also love it's branching shapes.


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## tfox799947 (Jun 4, 2012)

Be careful of the EBAY wood from Tennessee, if it is similair to what I was looking at a while back. See link.
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/beginner-discussion/86185-red-cedar-stump.html
Might not wanna go there.


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## DutchScum (Jan 11, 2012)

in my understading as long as the wood is dead and has no smell or dried sap and the pieces are baked seems to be ok to use


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## dirtbomb (Nov 29, 2011)

oh thanks for the heads up on the cedar bc i checked out some of listings and theyre listed as cedar. i understand why not to use cedar even though this tank wont be a pdf tank. Howver if i just use it as a planted viv do yall think it would be okay then . not sure if any oils still present on the wood would affect my orchids? Oh and Pumilo do you have any good sources to buy ghost wood from?

thanks


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Try saveoncrafts.com in their natural branches section

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

diggenem said:


> Try saveoncrafts.com in their natural branches section
> 
> Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


Yes, that's where I get mine.


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## LizardLicker (Aug 17, 2012)

diggenem said:


> Try saveoncrafts.com in their natural branches section
> 
> Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


I think you need hyphens between the words in the website name. If you just copy and paste it takes you to a spammish looking site. 

Just FYI


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## ndame88 (Sep 24, 2010)

tfox799947 said:


> Be careful of the EBAY wood from Tennessee, if it is similair to what I was looking at a while back. See link.
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/beginner-discussion/86185-red-cedar-stump.html
> Might not wanna go there.


Yes, dont make the same mistake I did, he has great looking pieces, but it is cedar, no smell until you drill into it.


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

ndame88 said:


> Yes, dont make the same mistake I did, he has great looking pieces, but it is cedar, no smell until you drill into it.


Even the "ghost wood" is cedar?


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

pine/cedar are toxic are they not?

I just walk down the rocks of the James river, which runs through Richmond, to get my wood.


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## ndame88 (Sep 24, 2010)

§lipperhead said:


> pine/cedar are toxic are they not?
> 
> I just walk down the rocks of the James river, which runs through Richmond, to get my wood.


Yes, cedar and pine are toxic, can't remember the specifics, but just do a "cedar" search, you will find several threads.


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

Being from the freshwater hobby, I've learned never to trust any sort of soft or sappy woods. The ones I like and have used are manzanita, malaysian driftwood, and african mopani.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Shinosuke said:


> Even the "ghost wood" is cedar?


No, Ghost wood is NOT cedar. I believe he was talking about that specific eBay seller. Ceder can cause respiratory problems. Ghost wood is viv safe and has been used by a lot of froggers over the years.


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## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

Hey Doug, is that piece of ghost wood you posted the $16.99 one or the $9.99 one on save on crafts?



David


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

NM Crawler said:


> Hey Doug, is that piece of ghost wood you posted the $16.99 one or the $9.99 one on save on crafts?
> 
> 
> 
> David


That was just a pic I snagged online. I have used both the $16.99 ones (large) and the $9.99 ones (medium). The smalls will have no branching and be more or less useless, at least for my purposes. The larges may be too big. Here is a viv with my favorite piece in it. The viv is 2 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft. The wood is a large, $16.99 piece of Ghost wood from Save On Crafts.


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## LizardLicker (Aug 17, 2012)

I recently bought a piece of wood from greenleafaquariums.com. They have some really nice pieces. I contacted them about what type of wood they sold because it isn't listed. 

I was told that it was alder or cedar from Texas. However, they also said it is used all the time in aquarium use with no problems. He also said that several customers use it for dart frogs and haven't had any problems that he is aware of. 

He also said the wood has been dead for 80 years or more. I'm not sure how he knows that. I'm don't know whether to use it or not. I haven't received it yet.


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

All depends on how much risk you're willing to take. If it smells like that cedar smell i would be uncomfortable.


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## Nate Mcfin (Sep 22, 2010)

I am using Manzanita. I have been using it in my aquarium for years and it hold up very well in wet conditions. It also has some incredible shapes.


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## LizardLicker (Aug 17, 2012)

§lipperhead said:


> All depends on how much risk you're willing to take. If it smells like that cedar smell i would be uncomfortable.


Yeah, I hear ya. I am curious to give it a good sniff when it arrives. Then give it another sniff after I drill it.

I have ordered wood from a few places, and I haven't been happy at all with what I have received from a couple places that don't photograph individual pieces. They will remain nameless, of course.

I am sure I can use it for something else if not in my viv.


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

Don't know if you want to go through the extra trouble but many sealing the wood would work? If it ends up smelling like cedar that is.


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## dirtbomb (Nov 29, 2011)

i found a website in the sponsors link called a place of life they have some nice looking ghost wood


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## LizardLicker (Aug 17, 2012)

I got the wood I ordered, and it definitely has a smell to it. It is pretty faint, but it is definitely there. 

I asked my wife to smell it without telling her it was cedar. She picked up on it right away. I won't be using it obviously. It would look good in an aquarium so I might try it in there. 

Frustrating but I should have double checked before I ordered. I do wonder about the other people who are using it in their PDF setups.


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## frankpayne32 (Mar 17, 2007)

I always collect my own wood. I just can't justify spending my hard earned money on wood lol. I live in a fairly rural area and I have places where I can collect the wood without much fear of pesticides or other chemicals. All wood comes from the "wild". I am aware of the possible introduction of pest organisms but if the wood is cleaned and checked thoroughly that risk can be limited greatly. I like to use the roots of downed trees especially as they hold up very well in aqueous conditions.


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## slipperheads (Oct 17, 2007)

Yeah, is there a river where you can find some cool pieces? Im not a fan either of paying for wood. If I did, however, it would be here:

Save on Crafts, Wedding Supplies, Flowers, Tulle, Lights, Decorations & Discount Craft Supplies Save-on-crafts


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## simonphelps (May 29, 2012)

grapevine wood is pretty sweet if you get a big enough piece. The piece has to be huge tho.


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

Pumilo said:


> No, Ghost wood is NOT cedar. I believe he was talking about that specific eBay seller. Ceder can cause respiratory problems. Ghost wood is viv safe and has been used by a lot of froggers over the years.


Sorry, I should've been more specific with my question. They sell some wood that's clearly labeled as "ghost wood", and a previous post made it sound like the person bought some ghost wood from your source and it was actually cedar.

I tried emailing your source to get some more info on their wood but they've yet to respond.


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## LizardLicker (Aug 17, 2012)

Shinosuke said:


> Sorry, I should've been more specific with my question. They sell some wood that's clearly labeled as "ghost wood", and a previous post made it sound like the person bought some ghost wood from your source and it was actually cedar.
> 
> I tried emailing your source to get some more info on their wood but they've yet to respond.


I'm not sure if this post is directed to me. I thought I would clarify just in case. The wood I bought did not come from save-on-crafts. The wood I bought came from greenleafaquariums.com. 

They didn't list what type of wood it was on their website. I was told by them it is cedar or alder. They told me it should be safe for dart frog setups. However, it still has a smell to it so I wouldn't use it.


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## asid61 (Mar 18, 2012)

grapewood will fall apart in months in wet enclosures. A Place of Life sells really nice pieces of ghost wood, WYSIWYG, for $30 at most. Most are around $20.


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## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

I also saw some great looking wood called "Cholla Tree" on that web site. I was wondering if anyone has used it or if its safe, brakes down to quick etc.


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

You can get some nice ghostwood logs and branches at save-on-crafts.com. they do not have pics of individual pieces but I have ordered from them numerous of times and never been disappointed

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

not to start a big deal here but i have about 100 pounds of cedar in my large viv. i harvested it fresh off the tree a year ago and it has held up well and all my animals seem to be doing well with it. i have a few fish in the pond in that viv and they are fine too. also my microfauna is varied and all alive so im not sure what the cedar is toxic too or in what amount you would run into problems. lots of bad advice gets repeated without challenge.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

skanderson said:


> not to start a big deal here but i have about 100 pounds of cedar in my large viv. i harvested it fresh off the tree a year ago and it has held up well and all my animals seem to be doing well with it. i have a few fish in the pond in that viv and they are fine too. also my microfauna is varied and all alive so im not sure what the cedar is toxic too or in what amount you would run into problems. lots of bad advice gets repeated without challenge.


There are a number of plants that are colloquially called cedar...not all are toxic. These materials contain a variety of compounds like plicatic acid (see for one example of toxicity The toxicity of constituents of cedar... [J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1989] - PubMed - NCBI) and thujone (which is lipophilic and absorbed through the skin) which is aerosolized due to evaporation/sublimation ingentaconnect Repellency of Milled Aromatic Eastern Red Cedar to Domiciliary Co... 

The insecticidal/repellent abilities are one of the main reasons it was the choice storage wood for wool and cotton that were at risk of damage from moths or other insects. 

There is abundent data to document and prove the risks from using cedars so to pass it off as bad advice is bad advice in and of itself... 

As to your incident of it apparently doing no harm, this isn't known for sure since 
1) there are many trees that are called cedars, a number of which aren't toxic
2) damage isn't always apparent on the surface of the animal since the chemicals are toxic to the lungs and liver.. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

_Manzanita all the way baby!_


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## zth8992 (Jul 19, 2012)

Does anyone know of a website that has a large selection of ghost wood where you can pick exactly the one you want? I looked at a place of life but there isn't much to chose from. I am too picky to let someone else decide for me hah


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

my cedar is eastern red cedar. juniperus virginiana. again my advice is based on use and experience, only one year, not on studies. if people are dissuaded from bringing up their experiences that contradict common wisdom there will be no growth and learning among the community.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

This is why it is important to know which species you are talking about... Juniperus ssp tend to be a much much lower risk than "cedars" in the Thuja and Cedrus families. While your cedar does contain some of the potentially toxic aromatics, the concentration is considered fairly low...See for example Poisonous Plants: Juniperus virginiana 
and as compared to Thuja occidentalis 

This is why to simply say cedars are safe is potentially bad information. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

I have a nice juniper stump in one of my vivs (J. monosperma, one seed juniper, if anybody's interested). I found it on a hike and knew it was a resinous wood, but it seemed really old, and sun bleached, and had no smell when cut. It has turned out to be a very durable wood.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

epiphytes etc. said:


> I have a nice juniper stump in one of my vivs (J. monosperma, one seed juniper, if anybody's interested). I found it on a hike and knew it was a resinous wood, but it seemed really old, and sun bleached, and had no smell when cut. It has turned out to be a very durable wood.


And cases like this are perfectly acceptable. I've used aged Atlantic white cedar/Atlantic cedar (_Chamaecyparis thyoides),_ particularly the water logged stumps from old clear cuts for cranberry bogs with no issues. Again, knowing what cedar we are discussing is important. 

Ed


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## Veneer (Nov 13, 2012)

Has anyone used Underwater Treasures terrarium wood? Apparently safe for both aquatic and terrestrial contexts. I've heard it claimed this is something called "redmoor wood", which is extensively employed in European aquaria and vivaria but seems to be much rarer in North America. How about "twisted rosewood"?

What else lends this kind of tangled finger-and-palm or chaotic tentacular effect? Maybe it's simply the way these particular pieces were selected and processed, but the manzanita root I've seen was in simple, block-like units without as many projections as I'd like, and aboveground selections from this tree (the ones favored by aquarists, at least) are often way too elongate and intricately twiggy for my taste.

ADA "branch wood" and "horn wood" come close, but I'm sure they're excessively marked up.


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