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Hi, I was reading an older post about apple wood being safe. Now I just wanted to double check that it would be ok. My grandma cut down her apple tree this mid summer for it was just getting a bit over grown. Anyway, I have a cut branch that I peeled the bark off of. It's sitting in salted warm water as of now, then i was going to bake it in the oven at 250 for 2 hours. It's been fully submerged in the water for about 2 and a haft hours. My question is, will this be good enough or should I do this a few more times?

Hi,

apple wood is fine,I used it myself few times. Just make sure it's really dry, also on the inside, not only superficial, elsewise it will start to rot.

Ok thank you. I will check it again tomorrow before I put it in my tank.

It's best if it has been dead for about a year before you use it........ apple, cherry, oak, beech, are all safe to use and a bunch more. Stay away from cedar, fir, any pine, and the softer woods. I boil my wood before putting it in the tank.... that kills anything you don't want and make it so it will sink.

Chuck

Removing the bark is what I let my Plecos handle

Apple seems to work fine on my side as well. I'm less cautious about it. No cooking, no nothing. Just placed it into the tank about 6 month after cutting it. But being a little more careful about it might always be a good option.

@ cooking, this destroys the structure of the wood, promoting rot.

Bacteria living on wood - that is, in the air, generally are not sable to survive in a tank. They drown

I also let my plecos remove the bark. I generally let it dry inside the garage for a month or two and then just screw some slate to the bottom and put it in the tank. Haven't had any issues. I used a dogwood that we cut down in front of my house a few years ago and an ash tree that my neighbor cut down two years ago.

I used a spade bit to drill some large holes in the side of the trunks for the plecos to hide in.

Hi all,
I agree with the posters, "Narwhal72" & "Bas Pels". Dead Apple wood is fine to use, you don't need to treat it in any way. Any sap is likely to be in the cambial layer, just below the bark. When you peel the bark off, you take this away.

Have a look at <Wood for Tanks? <(viewtopic.php?t=35930)>

Blackbird wrote:It's sitting in salted warm water as of now

Take it out, you will just need to soak it in fresh water afterwards to get the salt out.

cheers Darrel

Bas Pels wrote:@ cooking, this destroys the structure of the wood, promoting rot.

I have wood that I have boiled before putting in my tanks that has been there for at least 10 years now...... I'm sure if it was soft wood it would have rotted but it would have done that regardless if It was boiled or not. Only problem I have is my fish love to eat on it..... never had a problem with it rotting!