# Beach find wood id. Is is fish safe?



## Lindy (21 Mar 2015)

Lovely trip to Ayr beach where there are piles of drift wood.
An id on this wood would be great as i haven't got a clue!



















One stick in the last picture is a little red where it is damp from being under the sand. Any help much appreciated. ..


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## Brian Murphy (21 Mar 2015)

Hard to know tbh .... I have access to great looking rocks but worried in case they are limestone or just not suitable.  I would try a piece of the wood in a bit of water and test the water for PH swings etc over a few days


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## kirk (21 Mar 2015)

I know what type of wood it is.









It's firewood.      being more serious it could be from anywhere in the world which makes it more interesting.

We have drift wood all round the house also in the garden that ours boys collect when on holiday. We buy cheap pictures on the carboot throw the pics away then glue gun the drift wood around the frame put family pics in them and send them to family for birthdays etc.

You have some interesting peices there.


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## Another Phil (21 Mar 2015)

Hi Lindy,
Like rocks it is very difficult to tell from a photo.
The large stump might be cherry, looks to be fine grained on the cut end so likely a hard-wood, and therefore prob ok. 
re the other bits; some of them seem to have an inner core which I suspect will go soft and spongy if you put them in a bucket of water for a few days. (mine did).

You'll also likely find it takes a while for the salt to leach out - my beach wood has got salt crystals on the emersed part, so I use a sprayer prior to water change.
cheers phil


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## Lindy (21 Mar 2015)

This thread is supposed to be in Aquascaping forum  Ended up posting 3 times as I could see it not appearing on the right forum.... Hoping Darrel might know what it is..


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## sparkyweasel (21 Mar 2015)

Brian Murphy said:


> Hard to know tbh .... I have access to great looking rocks but worried in case they are limestone or just not suitable.  I would try a piece of the wood in a bit of water and test the water for PH swings etc over a few days


And if you put some _Daphnia_ in with it, you will find out if it releases anything toxic.


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## foxfish (22 Mar 2015)

The big piece does not look like it has been in the sea for long at all.
It looks very much like a fruit tree like apple, the lower branch has been trimmed suggesting a domestic environment.


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## Lindy (22 Mar 2015)

Apple wood is good foxfish?


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## Another Phil (22 Mar 2015)

Useful info here;
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5653

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=171614

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/uk-wood-in-aquariums.17399/
cheers phil


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## foxfish (22 Mar 2015)

I would think so but I would trim it up a go over it with a wire brush & then a little brass brush to make it look a bit more neater.
Of course I am only guessing!


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## dw1305 (22 Mar 2015)

Hi all, 





foxfish said:


> The big piece does not look like it has been in the sea for long at all.It looks very much like a fruit tree like apple, the lower branch has been trimmed


 I agree with the other posters, The stump does look a like a fruit tree, and quite newly chopped down, so it might need a while to get rid of all the sap, but it won't be toxic. I'd expect the sap wood to rot eventually.





Another Phil said:


> re the other bits; some of them seem to have an inner core which I suspect will go soft and spongy if you put them in a bucket of water for a few days. (mine did).
> You'll also likely find it takes a while for the salt to leach out - my beach wood has got salt crystals on the emersed part, so I use a sprayer prior to water change.


 I've found the same with drift wood I've picked up, but some of it has lasted well once all the salt has leached out.

cheers Darrel


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## Lindy (23 Mar 2015)

dw1305 said:


> , The stump does look a like a fruit tree, and quite newly chopped down, so it might need a while to get rid of all the sap,



I was planning to cut off the trunk section and just use the root part. The wood looks like it was cut some time ago(the wood is very dry/not sappy) but was only in the sea a very short time, if at all, because there is still dried soil packed in to gaps underneath. I'm thinking someone has dumped some garden refuse on the beach.




kirk said:


> It's firewood


That is my fall back plan, put it in the stove 

I'll start soaking it and see what happens..

Thanks for the help everyone.


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