Publication2 med aquascape Publication1cs complete | Page 105

Rocks and wood, make a perfect
combination!
aquarium. Horn wood is quite dense and heavy
and will easily sink. Although aquarium safe, it is
still good practice to prepare the wood prior to
adding by cleaning and soaking for a couple of
days.
The other type of wood is stuff you can collect
yourself. This can work out very cheap as collecting
your own will be free. Shape and size won’t be lim-
ited either, however, be sure it will be safe to use.
Q What safe wood can I collect?
There are many different types of wood you can
collect yourself depending where you live and
what’s available. In the UK, the most commonly
used wood to collect are either beech or oak tree
wood. These two types of wood have been used
and proved to be aquarium safe by many hobbyist.
Other wood that are reported to be safe are from
fruit trees like apple, pear and damson. There may-
be others, but I don’t think it would be responsible
to list them here as I can’t be sure they are 100%
aquarium safe. I would advise to stay clear from
conifer trees unless preserved in bogs, as they can
contain toxins that could leach into the water mak-
ing it milky!
Many hobbyist from Germany and the Netherlands
use wood called ''Wortelhout’’ (Wood Root).
UNSAFE WOOD!
Not all wood is suitable for aquarium use. Ever-
green and Hawthorn can harbour lethal thorns.
Pine wood in unpreserved form, Willow and Yew
may contain lethal toxins?
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