# british wood



## stemag (17 May 2013)

hi all any one know of a link or list of british wood that we can use in our tanks i have scoured this site but dont seem to find one thanks


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## Alastair (17 May 2013)

There's a thread on here somewhere ill find the link to it and post it 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

think you need to definitely avoid any pines, also i think i read somewhere that beech is a no no as it uses chemical warfare to kill off other plants, willow is also thought to be a bit iffy but i'm fairly sure stuff like oaks, sycamore etc are safe


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## GHNelson (17 May 2013)

Hi
Only thing about the wood you collect in the UK is..... it takes ages to sink.
Manzinatia wood will sink in a few days...and doesn't seem to get as much white bacteria growing on it when fully submerged.
hoggie


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

there is more but i cant remember them all 
apple
oak
beech


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

hogan, it depends on the wood you collect... i recently went and collected some dry dead oak and some bits from a boggy area, they have started to sink fine, and im going to use them about a 2 weeks after collecting. as for types of wood oak is good, and any none sappy hard wood, iv used apple in my shrimp tank before (freshly cut) without a problem, it did have a little white stuff on to start, but that syphoned off and never came back. but id say oaks your best and safest bet


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## GHNelson (17 May 2013)

Hi Mike
Your correct in saying that it depends on the wood and the area from which you collect it from.Boggy area probabley means its been well soaked with moiture at one time or other.
Most wood collecting scapers on here have collected UK wood and found it diffuclt to get it to sink.
I was just mentioning there is no comparision between Manzy woods sinking properties and UK wood...until someone finds something simliar....or better.
Heather as been used in Aquascapes also.
Anyway happy hunting gang.
Cheers
hoggie


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

true it does depend where you collect it from, but if you look in boggy places near oak trees then your likely to find some., iv got a little stream by me, i took a walk up it and found a tree (dead of course) just an idea if your hunting, go to a place of water to find some


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

i was thinking of taking some oak up to one of the moors 
not to far from where i live and thinking about burying it 
for a year do you think it would works i know bog wood
takes millions of years but dead oak for a year what do you
think


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## stemag (17 May 2013)

thanks guys the sinking part is not much of a issue i can tie it to a rock or something think i will look for some oak, apple , beach and have a play around  i dont need it for a while so i have a bit of time to experiment thanks


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## GHNelson (17 May 2013)

Try it and see...nothing ventured nothing gained.
I dont think it will take that long....for it to be usable.
hoggie


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

i'm sure beech isnt safe but i'm not 100% wish i could remember where i read it


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

beach leaves can be used in the fish tank as leaf litter


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

far be it from me to disagree as i'm new to this and certainly no botanist but here is a snippet... this is taken off t' interweb so obv may or may not be correct
but the more info the op has the better his chance of making an informed decision

Beech (Fagus sylvatica) may be one the species of tree that have allelopathic properties in their leaf litter. Some trees like Walnut (Juglans regia) have been shown to have chemical compounds within their leaves that are toxic to other plants.


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

i have seen it used in fish tanks we are talking dried out wood


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## DrRob (17 May 2013)

I have elder in my tank, doesn't sink all that quickly and does leech tannins at a rate of knots, but it looks lovely.

Also use apple and pear. Willow floats and breaks down far too easily for my liking, but the fish don't seem bothered by it.


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

just done some checking and beech is safe 
but i am not sure about willow as that is were 
aspirin comes from salicylic acid


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## stemag (17 May 2013)

ye ive heard willow is a no no i put a peice in my pond last year that looked dead it now has roots and leaves lol


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

i believe willow also has anti bacterial properties so probably wouldnt do the filter much good... fascinating subject ud a thowt as they say round 'ere. think if I put any wood in my tank I'll stick to the industry standard ones bogwood,  mopani  etc


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## BigTom (17 May 2013)

I tend to be a bit gung ho about using found wood - have personally tried oak, beech, blackthorn (de-thorned), heather, spruce and even ivy and they've all been fine. Make sure it's old and dry and properly dead and you're unlikely to go wrong with most stuff. As a disclaimer though I'd always have a bit of a google for a particular species before using it, but I only normally take notice of people with first hand experience (wood suitability seems to be one of those many subjects where a lot of aquarium 'lore' gets passed on parrot fashion without a whole of evidence to back it up).


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

hogan53 said:


> Boggy area probabley means its been well soaked


 
So let me poke my nose here as well. Since I'm a foreigner and live in London, (most of my travels took me just to handball courts and then straight to pubs in the UK) I'm in need of a little lecture about geography....

So if some one could tell me a good place not too far from London which is, well boggy and can collect without being shot by some ranger or security guard as it is some protected bog area that would be nice...
If not i will have to cut out the tree in the communal garden and let the tap open with a hosepipe to the garden as I'm not on a meter yet


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

heather is that ok to use what prep does it need to me used


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

zhuth said:


> So let me poke my nose here as well. Since I'm a foreigner and live in London, (most of my travels took me just to handball courts and then straight to pubs in the UK) I'm in need of a little lecture about geography....
> 
> So if some one could tell me a good place not too far from London which is, well boggy and can collect without being shot by some ranger or security guard as it is some protected bog area that would be nice...
> If not i will have to cut out the tree in the communal garden and let the tap open with a hosepipe to the garden as I'm not on a meter yet


i dont know of places around london, but where i collected mine (norfolk broads),theres a little stream, with drainage ditches runing into it. id say go to a flatish area, no hills as water wont collect unless its in the vallys (might be a good place to check)  and then see if you find a little brook and follow it until the ground becomes soggy, then find some wood


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

Thanks Mike the only thing I need to sell the wife I want to go to the broads national park just make sure you don't tell her why I want to go there 

On a more serious note I heard somewhere that you can use the dried dead "Grape trunk"... need to look it up but if any one come across it maybe they can back me up. But will look for it and let you know if I found the article or forum where i heard it.


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

biffster said:


> heather is that ok to use what prep does it need to me used


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## BigTom (17 May 2013)

biffster said:


> heather is that ok to use what prep does it need to me used


 
Yup heather is great. If its nice and dry and dead then I just bung it in straight away. I guess you might want to give it a wash first.


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

heather looks dead after the winter and its been burned but you 
never know with the stuff lol


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

BigTom said:


> heather


you guys mean the flower heather yes? or I'm just being st...d


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

no your right thats the stuff but it needs to be dead lol 
and its knowing when its dead lol


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

I think i will go to the local garden center buy a couple of pots and after it flowered I will just take it out from the pot and and leave it till next summer that should be pretty dead then


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## BigTom (17 May 2013)

zhuth said:


> you guys mean the flower heather yes?


 
Looks like this when dead if you can find a good place to collect it -


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

wow that looks amazing i am going to have a road trip 
this week end to see if i can find some and i am going 
to take some oak with me to bury for a year or so in a peat 
bog lol


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

i heard grape was good as well, but not had first hand experience on it.  im sure theres other places you can collect besides the broads, thats just where i live  im sure theres water just outside london


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

sugar.....
the more i look on this site the more i want to put in my little tank..... I need more tanks more room and some pill for my wife so she does not chuck me out from the flat with all the fish stuff


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

my prearents are the same... i think i own 8 tanks now (only 2 set up at the moment), and a propagator... which is in a greenhouse im using....>.>  they always get annoyed when i buy another tank :L im new to this site as well, but i want more tanks, so many idea so little space to set them up in >.>


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

zhuth said:


> So let me poke my nose here as well. Since I'm a foreigner and live in London, (most of my travels took me just to handball courts and then straight to pubs in the UK) I'm in need of a little lecture about geography....
> 
> So if some one could tell me a good place not too far from London which is, well boggy and can collect without being shot by some ranger or security guard as it is some protected bog area that would be nice...
> If not i will have to cut out the tree in the communal garden and let the tap open with a hosepipe to the garden as I'm not on a meter yet


 
the Thames is quite wet


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

Bigtom actually I read this in your journal (and even saw a video someone snorkeling in a river) so i wanted to ask you about it there already just there is so much information on here my head is in a shock overflow with information.....but this thread will do it as well.
So there if remember right was written something about burning, it means it is left out on the sun to dry out or someone literally sets it on fire....


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

i think they set fire to heather, to renew it... i remember seeing a program on it on tv awhile back


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

Kevin was thinking about it but i think i will not take a swim in it as I'm afraid wont get out of it 
But if you know a place of it what is swim able will give it a try.
Actually there is a place not far away from my house "Darlands Lake Nature Reserve" but did not find the entry to it as the road that leads to it is private and can not get in the gate and when i wanted to check an alternative way i could not go through with a child so will have to leave family home and go alone one day ... will let you know if i find something good there.


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## biffster (17 May 2013)

vine wood is to soft it rots really quick


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

i thought grape was quite dense...  at least when i chopped it down it seemed it


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## BigTom (17 May 2013)

mike455555 said:


> i think they set fire to heather, to renew it... i remember seeing a program on it on tv awhile back


 
Yup. Heather burning on moorland


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

I'm from up North zhuth so i cant help you with London, but I'll bet if you went to the Thames at low tide there would be some old soaked driftwood that would probably sink pretty quickly like proper bogwood on the riverbank amongst the dead bodies, shopping trolleys and old bicycles etc....

you might be able to find boggy areas on google earth, i use it to find places to go fishing


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

mike455555 said:


> i thought grape was quite dense... at least when i chopped it down it seemed it


well i read that grapevines aren't much good because they rot too quick


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

they might well do, i was just adding in on what i though i read awhile back on them... and when cutting one down it seemed hard but i might be wrong


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## zhuth (17 May 2013)

kevin1962 said:


> ight be able to find boggy areas on google earth


I think i just will do that Kevin although I'm not keen of dead bodies or body parts but at least if I find some wood i can use the shopping trolley to push it home.
But yes will actually check it as until now i thought only wood from "bogs" is suitable but now I will widen my knowledge on this subject a bit and hope to find something good.
Men I love it here every line gives you something new. I just only hope at least one time i can help some one out here as a repayment for all the info....


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## mike455555 (17 May 2013)

just dont do what i did to collect it... bike...  i ended up tieing like 10 3foot bits of wood to my bike and pushing it half a mile back home... after dragging the wood through the wood's near the stream for half a mile as well... was a fun day >.>


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## kevin1962 (17 May 2013)

just remember if you get anything out of the river it will probably need a very thorough clean. personally i'd just buy a piece of bogwood that way you dont just get any old piece but get one that actually appeals


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## Ady34 (18 May 2013)

kevin1962 said:


> well i read that grapevines aren't much good because they rot too quick





mike455555 said:


> they might well do, i was just adding in on what i though i read awhile back on them... and when cutting one down it seemed hard but i might be wrong


Hi, vine wood bought in aquarium/Vivarium shops is IMO unsuitable for long term aquarium use as it is a softwood and does rot quickly (10 months ish) I used it in Dragons Crypt journal and it went soft and mouldy at the end.
Cheerio
Ady


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## grathod (18 May 2013)

BigTom said:


> Looks like this when dead if you can find a good place to collect it -



Tom that is a mighty big box of heather, u selling any?


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## BigTom (18 May 2013)

All used or sold already, sorry dude.


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## grathod (18 May 2013)

No worries bud, if you ever got any spare them pm me.
Cheers


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## biffster (18 May 2013)

BigTom said:


> Looks like this when dead if you can find a good place to collect it -


 

same goes for me if your selling any please pm me


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## Bandersnatch (18 May 2013)

The PFK site had a article on some of these issues a couple of days back, it mentioned things like grapevine being to soft and such, it was just an overview but you might find it interesting.


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## jojouk (18 May 2013)

So fruit wood - pear, apple etc...is ok to just plonk in a tank freshly cut from a tree?


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## mike455555 (18 May 2013)

jojouk said:


> So fruit wood - pear, apple etc...is ok to just plonk in a tank freshly cut from a tree?


i dont know if its okay to plonk it in... but i did... i was lazy and dident want to wait... turned out fine, it was waited down with slate burryed under the and though


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## stemag (19 May 2013)

i dont think it should be plonked in straight from the tree think it should be dead first


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## grathod (19 May 2013)

Looking at the comments here I think there is a need for a thread in the tutorials or wherever applicable for a heading "aquarium safe local wood". Unfortunately I don't have enough knowledge about the various indigenous species to start it. Think it'll be a fantastic resource for all to reference and also a place to post the scapes done using these woods. On a funny note, there I headed up to one of our natural parks here in the north on a heather hunt only to be told by the ranger that all the heather & I mean a fair few tonnes of it is being dug back into the ground to replenish the peat fields. What a kick in the nuts that was, all I wanted was a few twigs. Darn it. Can't complain too much though as they are undertaking conservation, one of my loves in life. It all about what we can give back to the planet...


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## grathod (19 May 2013)

grathod said:


> Looking at the comments here I think there is a need for a thread in the tutorials or wherever applicable for a heading "aquarium safe local wood". Unfortunately I don't have enough knowledge about the various indigenous species to start it. Think it'll be a fantastic resource for all to reference and also a place to post the scapes done using these woods. On a funny note, there I headed up to one of our natural parks here in the north on a heather hunt only to be told by the ranger that all the heather & I mean a fair few tonnes of it is being dug back into the ground to replenish the peat fields. What a kick in the nuts that was, all I wanted was a few twigs. Darn it. Can't complain too much though as they are undertaking conservation, one of my loves in life. It all about what we can give back to the planet...



Better still, lets continue with this thread & those that are using these woods - put some pics on & let us know what problems if any you faced when you first used it... Share the knowledge peeps!


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## stemag (19 May 2013)

id like some photos of the heather set up it looks cool and yes i think there is some guidence needed on this subject


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## DrRob (19 May 2013)

Well, if you'll excuse the recently filled look and the mess of the plants, here's elder in a tank. Looks lovely, leeches for ages, and floats well to start with, but sinks now without being all that heavy and the leeching has slowed to a trickle, although it still hasn't stopped nearly a year later.



With a close up of some detail, it has some lovely patterns in places.


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## jojouk (19 May 2013)

Put in dead or live?


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## jojouk (19 May 2013)

What about rosemary? I had a rosemary bush last summer that has died (I'm not very good with outdoor plants) and as a result, the branches are all dry and twiggy, will look nice


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## sa80mark (19 May 2013)

jojouk said:


> What about rosemary? I had a rosemary bush last summer that has died (I'm not very good with outdoor plants) and as a result, the branches are all dry and twiggy, will look nice



Funny you ask this as ive got a dead rosemary bush in my back garden so would be interested in the answer to this one


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## jojouk (19 May 2013)

Apparently you can't use rosemary, the oil is toxic. 

Shame


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## BigTom (19 May 2013)

jojouk said:


> Apparently you can't use rosemary, the oil is toxic.
> 
> Shame


 
Have you got a source for that? Not being funny, just I've used several woods in the past that 'apparently' are toxic with no ill effects. I know rosemary has quite a lot of biologically active compounds in it, but I still suspect that if it's well dead and dry you shouldn't have much of an issue.


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## jojouk (19 May 2013)

I just googled it


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## DrRob (19 May 2013)

jojouk said:


> Put in dead or live?


 
Oh, very dead and dry. The wood that is, the fish was put in live.


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## BigTom (19 May 2013)

I can't find anything directly linked to using rosemary in the aquarium - my google-fu must be weak! Unless you mean you found that some of the biologically active components (eucalyptols, camphor etc) can be toxic? Very difficult (well, I find it very difficult, my plant biology is terrible) to know if these compounds would ever make it into the water in any sort of dangerous concentration. I've used spruce and ivy before, both of which contain plenty of compounds that would be toxic in sufficient concentrations, but in most cases this shouldn't be an issue if they wood is dead and dry.


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## sa80mark (19 May 2013)

Rosemary on a quick search seems to be usable 

Starting with a 16 liters | AquaScaping World Forum


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## BigTom (19 May 2013)

sa80mark said:


> Rosemary on a quick search seems to be usable
> 
> Starting with a 16 liters | AquaScaping World Forum


 
Well found.

One other report of using rosemary fine here - The Planted Tank Forum - View Single Post -  Diff. kinds of bog wood


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## jojouk (19 May 2013)

Good examples, the only one I found was this one, but again, it's only opinion really

 rosemary branch

I think I will chance it, the branches look nice  and they are quite dead, so I'm sure all oil etc...has vanished.


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## halibut (20 May 2013)

I saw this thread on Tropical Fish Forums the other day when searching for info on driftwood. Not sure how reliable it is, but it may be of use:
'Safe' Woods and ones to avoid


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## grathod (20 May 2013)

halibut said:


> I saw this thread on Tropical Fish Forums the other day when searching for info on driftwood. Not sure how reliable it is, but it may be of use:
> 'Safe' Woods and ones to avoid


 
Yeah! Game on folks, this is turning out to being a good thread


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## BigTom (20 May 2013)

halibut said:


> I saw this thread on Tropical Fish Forums the other day when searching for info on driftwood. Not sure how reliable it is, but it may be of use:
> 'Safe' Woods and ones to avoid


 
Well I've had no problems using two of the ones in the 'definite no' list. You really need first hand evidence one way or the other, otherwise the same 'lore' just goes round and round in circles forever.


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## Henry (20 May 2013)

I seem to remember reading that Yew is ok, as long as it is long dead and dry. As you say Tom, I think this applies to nearly all woods.

I've used both oak and willow without any problems. The oak is a thick branch though, and is taking a hell of a long time to sink!


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## dw1305 (20 May 2013)

Hi all,
Thymol is the active anti-microbial compound in herbs like Rosemary, Lavender, Oregano etc. It isn't very soluble in water (but it is in alcohol) so I don't think much will leach out from dead wood. I know this because I had a colleague (Maidment, D.C), who extracted anti-microbial compounds from all sorts of things.  The only problem I'd see is that the wood in Rosemary grows quite quickly, so it isn't very dense and will probably decay.

I haven't used Elder, but I've used Ivy, Buddleia and Box, and all 3 of them have extremely hard, dense heart wood at the bases of the trunk that sinks naturally.  Ivy and Box are always quoted as "toxic" but they were both long dead and I didn't have any problems.

I use the "Daphnia bioassay", from this thread <Distilled / Deionised Water | UK Aquatic Plant Society>, if I'm not sure about wood, leaves, water etc.

cheers Darrel


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