# Driftwood Rotting harmful to fish?



## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

While I was attaching a plant to a peice of driftwood I noticed a rotting smell that came from it. Its a peice of grapevine wood if I remember right. Is this harmful to the fish? Should I only stick with Mopani driftwood?


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## oscarlover (Feb 14, 2010)

Anything rotting in your tank is bad.
They have some really nice looking fake driftwood in the Drs. Foster and Smith catalog, that may be your safest and cheapest way to go.


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

Im agianst fake plants and fake driftwood. even if it looks just like the real deal, knowing its fake it will still bother me every time i think about it


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## choylifutsoccer (Jan 2, 2010)

> Im agianst fake plants and fake driftwood. even if it looks just like the real deal, knowing its fake it will still bother me every time i think about it


I have to agree with that.

Anyways, did you boil the driftwood before putting it in your tank? This gets rid of all the microorganisms on your driftwood.


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

choylifutsoccer said:


> Anyways, did you boil the driftwood before putting it in your tank? This gets rid of all the microorganisms on your driftwood.


Yes I did, I also researched on Grapevine twist driftwood and most people are saying that LFS usually sell and advertise grapevine twists as driftwood when it's NOT good for driftwood because fruit tree material leeches out too much sap and rots extremely quick. Mine rotted within 2 weeks. Im going to stick with Mopani wood from now on, it looks a lot nicer anyway.


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## jrodriguez (Jul 20, 2009)

I used to have driftwood in my 55...but i took it out after it started rotting on me. It smelled like sewage and made the water disgusting. so for now it just has the sand and a couple of accessories


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## choylifutsoccer (Jan 2, 2010)

> Yes I did, I also researched on Grapevine twist driftwood and most people are saying that LFS usually sell and advertise grapevine twists as driftwood when it's NOT good for driftwood because fruit tree material leeches out too much sap and rots extremely quick. Mine rotted within 2 weeks. Im going to stick with Mopani wood from now on, it looks a lot nicer anyway.


I guess it's really a hit or miss type of thing. But yea, I would stick to Mopani driftwood. It looks better anyway, in my opinion of course.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Grapevine is basically considered a soft wood, which isn't any good for fish tanks but works for herps and such.

Most hardwoods are good for tanks, Oak, hickory, mopani, manzanita is among the few.


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## oscarlover (Feb 14, 2010)

NursePlaty said:


> Im agianst fake plants and fake driftwood. even if it looks just like the real deal, knowing its fake it will still bother me every time i think about it


Personally the safety of knowing it is not going to pollute my tank is worth knowing it is fake but mopani looks great too.
I hope you get the look you are going for.


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