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Using wood found in nature

Sk3lly

Member
Joined
8 Oct 2014
Messages
320
Location
Windsor, England
There are many large oak trees near me that have been hit by lightning. There are large pieces of branch that litter the floor around the dead tree. This wood is barkless and is not rotting. Can it be used in aquascapes?


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Will it last a decent length of time? Also what prep would be required?


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there are lots of posts on how to prep wood (boiling, bleaching etc) but the best i found is to store in a dry environment until you're sure its totally dry inside. This can take weeks to months depending on the age of the wood. For this reason always try to find the oldest part of the main trunk instead of the younger shoots. This is because sap can cause it to become soft underwater. Then rinse in boiling water and presoak until its heavy enough to sink.
 
If you have an oven large enough, baking is always good. Dries out any moisture and kills grubs fast.

Hand around during the process though just in case the wood combusts inside.
 
Oven baking is hard to control and can cause moisture to bubble or create cracks if the temperature is not set right. I would not try it without experimenting with another piece first.

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The lowest setting will suffice to dry out moisture, kill off some bacteria and spores as well as insects.
 
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