Loaches Online Forum

Hello..,

I am making plans of starting up a new tank. I bought it a few days back and have yet to decide exactly what to do with it. The dimensions are ideal; 29.5" Long x 17.5" Deep x 17.5" Tall, about 40 Gallons.

I am now torn between making it into either an aquarium or a paludarium, but either way, I wanted some branching pieces of wood included. Both Mopani and Malaysian Driftwood for the most part come in chunky shapes, which are hard to use in a pleasing way. Today I broke down and bought a beautiful, large, branching piece of wood meant as a bird perch. It is obviously not treated with anything, has been sandblasted smooth, and is called "Java Wood." It is a light birch colour and is very heavy.

I wondered if anyone has used such wood in aquariums or paludariums, and if it would be safe. I could always treat it with aqua-safe shellac or silicone it to a piece of slate if it decides not to sink, but my main concern is whether or not it will be safe to use. In searching over the internet, I have been unable to find much information on how to use this type of wood. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
soul-hugger

Sounds like a dense hard wood to me, probably some kind of exotic wood. Java wood is likely just a trade name, and not a species name, i've never heard of it before. I doubt it would need any kind of treating, might be a good idea to run it through your dishwasher for a couple of cycles. This would help rinse and leech out some of the tannins that may be in the wood. You'll likely have to weight it down some, there is only a couple of woods which sink by themselves.

Hi, Clint:)

Thanks for the reply.

You are right that the name "Java Wood" is a trade name rather than a type of wood. It is made by Hagen and Exo-Terra. It comes from the rainforest, from coffee trees which are cut down before the plantations are re-planted. The wood would otherwise be burned. Then it is baked for about a month and bent to form interesting shapes. By this time the wood is very hard and very smooth. I found this information on a site which sells these pieces for bird perches and reptiles. It is apparently safe for parrots to chew on, so I don't think it has any resins which would be toxic in an aquarium. It is also supposed to be harder and more durable than Manzanita wood, which I know is safe for aquariums. It is said that some of the products are treated for waterproofing as well. This one obviously has not, but neither is Malaysian or Mopani wood treated. I actually like the look of tannins in the water, and need the help of the wood to lower the pH.

I am going to assume it is safe but with caution. Right now the wood is soaking in some water. As it is, it will likely be awhile until the tank is ready for the fish/animals to go in. I may run it for a time with just the wood and substrate, even though I have other tanks and could technically start up right away.

My memory has also been jogged to a time when I worked at a furniture store and sold products made from Rubberwood. I was well-versed in its excellent properties, both as durable furniture and also as a renewable resource. I think this might be something similar.

soul-hugger

This is the tank with wood in. The wood has been stood up on its end and looks much better.



It has now been decided that the tank will be an Aquarium. It would have been too hard to make into a Paludarium because the canopy does not come off. Most of the work would then have had to be done inside the tank, which would have been possible but not necessarily ideal. A 50-Gallon that was slated to be a planted tank will now be a Paludarium instead.

It has now been running for over a week with water, a few plants, and some other pieces of wood. Some bio was used from the other tanks to jump-start the cycle. It was cloudy for a couple days but has now cleared up. I believe the filter material that came with the filter was responsible for some of this cloudiness. So far no ill effects have been noted with the wood other than that it is growing a white film on it that is common in new tanks. This film is also on the Malaysian wood which was taken from a cycled tank. I know it will go when the tank is fully cycled.

Today I bought some SIL-8 sand that will be the substrate. I have also combed the beaches near the river for wood. The next trip will be for rocks.

I am hoping to turn it into a Dwarf Cichlid blackwater biotope. I am considering a pair of Dwarf Pikes (Crenicichla Regani), and a few Hatchet Fish for the top. My juvenile Marble Sailfin Pleco will also go in until he gets too big for the set-up and has to be re-homed. (I bought him for my daughter not knowing how big he would get, and had to take him from her 10 Gallon tank when he reached 3 inches.)

There will be wood, leaf litter, a few rocks, and the only plants will be floating. I have some lovely floating Water Sprite that will fill this niche perfectly. It is one of my favourite plants.

soul-hugger

It may be manzanita wood, safe for tanks. Looks like a nice piece

Thanks, Nancy,

Yes, it is a very nice piece! It can be so hard to find wood in the shapes you want. As far as I'm aware, it is not Manzanita wood, though it looks similar. Supposedly it comes from coffee trees. I still haven't seen Manzanita wood offered for sale in my area. Saskatchewan is not a good place for selection in anything, which can be frustrating.

I have made three trips to the South Saskatchewan River to look for wood and rocks to use in my aquariums. The first one was last year, and I found three excellent pieces which I used in my 20 Gallon. This year's trips have not been as fruitful; but I found a couple of good branches and also a very large piece of wood that will fit in my 75 when I set it up. It was covered with algae, waterlogged and heavy so we set it out to dry in the sun. If it's still there when we go back I might take it home, though it would need to be cleaned thoroughly.

All the substrate went into the tank today and so far it is looking good.

Will post pics soon.

soul-hugger

If I have a new bit of wood that floats I just stick a couple of rocks on it at first. That's a nice piece. Looking forward to the pictures.