thoughts on cedar?

[awilson0001]

anyone ever used cedar in an aquarium? i have talked to some that say they use it.
just curious

[Bas Pels]

cedar - as a type of wood?

I would not use it. Cedar comes from a certain kind of pine-tree, and pine trees have stuff which is toxic for fish in their wood.

OK, of 1 tree falls into a river, the poisenous stuff dilutes rapidly, but your tank is a bit smaller than a river. that is, mine are.

[Lee Nuttall]

I agree with Bas, any pine related tree contains a lot of toxic sap and will leach into your aquarium.

[awilson0001]

i agree, but was still wondering.

i have seen small lakes with many pine trees around them, good number of fallen dead ones too(in the water), and the fish/water seems normal. but i still think it is better not to chance it.

[Bas Pels]

Perhaps northern fish can handle Pine juice. But tropical fish never meet pine trees - and therefroe they will not de adapted to cope with it.

[Klaus Steinhaus]

I have used cedar root for years without any problems. Just soak it properly for a couple of week and brush it clean.

[Bas Pels]

Klaus

The picture shows wood which was not used fresh. I think pine wood, which has been in water for quite some time, is safe, but fresh is not.

So I wonder - did you use fresh wood or did you find it somewhere - probably aged?

[awilson0001]

well agaed and/or not is part of this too. i am interested in all ideas, thoughts, experiences, and what ever else. hands on with cedar root is good to know.

so would it be said that waterlogged cedar or aged cedar is okay?

[Bas Pels]

waterlogged cedar will not contain the toxic juices. However, in many cases people don't like to use stuff from water - it might contain deseases

so it might be a matter of being bitten by the cat or the dog

[Klaus Steinhaus]

So I wonder - did you use fresh wood or did you find it somewhere - probably aged?

Bas, fresh wood of any kind is bad for aquaristic use.

[Mike Wise]

I have a cedar stump in an aquarium that I collected about 20 years ago in the mountain (never in water until I put it in an aquarium). I soaked it for about a month with daily water changes before placing it in an aquarium. In the aquarium (South American) it still leached tannins. The water was a deep red/brown. The tetras just glowed! Of course I changed 50% of the water each week just so that I could see the fish! The Neon Tetras were continually spawning (caviar for other other fish). The Red Phantoms looked like red reflectors. After about a year the leaching was finished. The Neons stopped breeding and the fish were not as spectacular. I certainly wouldn't use cedar in a tank for hardwater fish, however. For them, I'd use sagebrush.