Aquarium Wood Guide

What Woods are "Safe" for an Aquarium? 

Using wood within an aquatic setup can be an inviting experience adding a more “Natural” feel, this with the addition of plants can be a fantastic contrast of colours. Within the aquarium hobby and shops there are some already established pieces of wood that are safe to use in these environments but often due to size, weight and locations sourced can come with a price tag such as the following:

Driftwood

Bogwood

Mopani Wood

Redmoor Wood

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This often begs the question of many people; “I’ll just use wood from the tree in the garden or what I find in my local woodlands”.

There are however some issues with using wood foraged from woodlands and where to start on what’s “Safe” can be a mind field so here’s a few that we would recommend as a good starting point when collecting.

Alder

Apple

Beech

Birch

Cherry

Hawthorn

Heather

Oak

Pear

Sycamore

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Along with the ones that are considered safe to use there are a few that are a big “NO” due to the wood often leaching dangerous or poisonous chemicals, in this case it’s best to avoid the following:

Cedar (avoid anything evergreen/coniferous)

Cypress

Grape vine – this rots very quickly

Horse chestnut

Lilac – this is poisonous

Ivy – this is poisonous

Pine

Spruce

Walnut

Yew – this is toxic

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Again this list is subjective, some have tried the following and had success. Others no so much. The important factors to ALWAYS remember are:

• Research the wood first. What are other people’s experiences?
  
  
• Ensure the wood is “Dead” or completely dried out before using.
  
  
• NEVER remove or cut live branches. Only forage what has naturally fallen.
  
  
• Soak/Boil prior to adding to an aquarium, this helps remove any pollutants or foreign materials that maybe hidden in the woods.
  
  
• Test and test again! Always monitor water parameters when introducing natural items especially in water which has a low General Hardness (GH) as the PH levels could change quicker which in turn can affect any livestock.
  
  
• If you’re unsure, test in a body of water with no livestock prior to adding to your main aquarium (Similar to quarantining fish).