Wood in the reef aquarium?

[Zante]

Can a piece of bogwood be used in a reef as a decoration or is it a big no?

[OrQidz]

I would think no, just from the releasing of phosphates and such as it slowly decays? And just the general detritus that wood creates (at least the bogwood in FW tanks does). Just a guess though.

[Palting]

They do have some fake wood made out of resin that looks pretty real. Not as cheap as real wood, though :).

[Patroklos]

Its not a particularly natural decoration for salt water, what are you planning on creating with it!

I agree with the above, its pretty much just a slower decaying version of the raw cycling shrimp.

[Zante]

Its not a particularly natural decoration for salt water, what are you planning on creating with it!

I don't know yet, I'm just fishing around for ideas, and once i know what's ok to use and what isn't I will start thinking which materials to use and how.

[Josh40996]

Not to mention tannins that wood releases, turning water yellow and causing pH. to fall.

[Badkarma88]

I have also thought about putting wood or a wood replica in a saltwater aquarium. I think it would be cool to have something similar to a pier pylon. I got the idea when I saw a large aquarium display of an Alaskan bay (maybe it was at the Georgia Aquarium).

[Squidmotron]

I remember exploring an old ship wreck in a cove before. I think it was the Bahamas. That's a cool theme you could do with wood. But I think it's too big a risk in a tank.

[Zante]

Indeed the idea was to reconstruct on one side of the tank the flank of a sunken ship.

[Allmost]

Not to mention tannins that wood releases, turning water yellow and causing pH. to fall.

THIS.

in old freshwater stingray tanks, we used driftwood to lower PH, also it contains high po4.

make it with fiberglass.

[Badkarma88]

Could you not just coat the piece of wood with epoxy or a fiberglass resin to seal it?

[postshawn]

I have seen online glass (bottles) and bricks in saltwater tanks. I don't know if precautions were taken in either case to seal or treat the items though. I like the idea of a brick wall or something and wondered if brick would just basically become live rock over time?

[Allmost]

I have seen online glass (bottles) and bricks in saltwater tanks. I don't know if precautions were taken in either case to seal or treat the items though. I like the idea of a brick wall or something and wondered if brick would just basically become live rock over time?

glass is fine, the aquarium itself is glass.

brick ... cement, will lower PH. if you condition it in ro/di water for some time [LONG TIME] and then cycle it in salt water, it can work, but again it will leach po4 and other substances, some of which might be toxic, so .... you are better off making cement rocks yourself.

[disc1]

From a science standpoint I'd go with a no. But from an aquarium keepers standpoint I'm going to go with PaulB on this one. If you get the right piece of wood then it's probably doable and would make a really neat tank. What's the right piece of wood? I don't really know, but I bet it's been underwater in the ocean for a long time already.

[Zante]

From a science standpoint I'd go with a no. But from an aquarium keepers standpoint I'm going to go with PaulB on this one. If you get the right piece of wood then it's probably doable and would make a really neat tank. What's the right piece of wood? I don't really know, but I bet it's been underwater in the ocean for a long time already.

Hmmm... good point. I'll hang on to that idea until I next go to the beach and see if I can get some driftwood I can use.

What if it's treated in the same way as a wooden boat is?

I am kinda warming up to this "sunken ship flank" idea...

[screamingibis]

sunken ship with little gold bars and jewels like an old Spanish galleon.

[NeilFox]

Get some West System epoxy. Thin the first coat with acetone so it soaks into the wood. Put a second coat on full strength. I have seen guys use this on plywood tanks with good results. How are you going to get the wood to sink though?

[Zante]

Hmm... I still like the idea, but I'm starting to think it's more trouble than it's worth.

[karsseboom]

I really don't see the appeal of wood in a reef tank. I haven't been diving in Australia but from what I have seen there isn't much wood in the mist of all those sps.

[dkeller_nc]

Zante - In addition to being interested in aquatic life, I'm also a cabinetmaker. Here's what I know about wood that might be useful to you if you decide to go with the "wooden ship side" idea:

Most, if not all, tropical hardwood species that are highly rot resistant have substantial amounts of extractable terpenes and other compounds that are responsible for their rot resistance. These extractables might be a real problem in a saltwater tank. South American Mahogany (not so-called "African" Mahogany!) is one exception - while it still has some extractable compounds, there isn't much, and a wood construction made from it will last for years.

There are two North American species that I can think of that would have very low extractables and are extremely rot resistant - cypress and Atlantic white cedar. A lumber dealer in your area should be able to get you some of either species - they are widely exported.

Both species are quite low in density, so you will have to weight your construction to get it to stay submerged.

If you go the "sealed" route, I'd suggest that you either order some specialty RTV silicone that has a very low viscosity so that it can be "painted", or that you get epoxy with UV inhibitors. Epoxy is quite inert, but it will breakdown in the presence of strong UV irradiation, such as with a MH lighting system. One solution is to seal the wooden construction with epoxy, cure it in a low-temperature oven (about 125 deg F), and then paint the whole thing with several coats of a marine spar varnish. The epoxy will seal the wood and prevent it from expanding/contracting with temperature and salinity changes, and the marine spar varnish will protect the epoxy from UV irradiation.

If you decide to go with the last route, make sure you get real marine spar varnish. Epifanes is one such brand. Inexpensive "spar varnish" sold in home improvement stores is basically polyurethane with a little bit of UV inhibitors thrown in - it will break down very quickly.

As a note of encouragement, I think such a concept tank would be very cool, sort of along the lines of Paul B's inclusion of beach rubbish in his tank.

Edit: Another thought - you could build the ship side out of Trex. Trex can be had in all sorts of colors, and is essentially plastic, so it will be quite inert.

[Zante]

Thanks dkeller, I will think your info and decide what to do.

The idea was also to buld a "piece of flank" and then smash it, so that it could represent where the hull was breached. It could become a cave of calmer water where the fish could rest.

It would also be interesting to see how the coralline algare colonize it and how softies will spread on it.

Still thinking about it, but your input was very valuable. Thanks again.

[Zante]

I really don't see the appeal of wood in a reef tank. I haven't been diving in Australia but from what I have seen there isn't much wood in the mist of all those sps.

The idea was to have a "panel" of planks to represent the side of a sunken ship.

In any case you do get wood in the sea. What about driftwood? Rivers carry a lot of crap into the sea, why couldn't some reach a reef and get stuck there?

You even have trees (mangroves). Fair enough, unlikely to be near reefs, but people put mangroves in their reefs...

[NeilFox]

I think it would be pretty cool. There is a place in the Florida Keys where an old Schooner had wrecked. It was covered with alot of growth on the reef. It would be a very unique theme. I believe that Cyprus that Dkeller talked aboutis heavier than water or close to the same density. It may sink on it's own.

[dkeller_nc]

North American cypress will definitely not sink on its own, even when it's quite water-logged (its specific gravity is 0.51). That's a good thing if you're building boats, not so good if you're building aquarium accessories. :)

Zante - One thing about your plan that is worth mentioning. Smashing a small-scale model of a ship to render a realistic immitation of a large-scale wreck is very, very hard to do by building the model and then administering hammer blows. I think you will find that it's a lot easier to "pre-smash" the planks to give you the splintered-hole look before you attach it to a framework.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, I would encourage you to seek out model building supplies. A lot of woodworking outlets sell lumber specifically dimensioned for and aimed at the model builder. By the way - if you're searching North American suppliers, search for "lumber" - "timber" is what it's called in the British Isles, I think. In North America, "timber" means standing or cut trees before they're turned into boards.

If you're not so much of a do it yourselfer when it comes to wood construction, seek out a local woodworker's club. Just about every town and municipality in both Britain and the US has a woodworking club, and you will be able to find a person in the local club that will be quite interested in your project and will do it for you for a pretty modest sum. The advantage is that they will have all the clamps, glues, dyes/stains, etc... needed to complete the project already at hand (so you don't have to buy it!).

[Zante]

I'm not thinking of a model, but of a full sized galleon.

Ok, now that I've shocked you let me explain. Imagine a sunken galleon on a reef. Imagine slicing a piece of reef and taking a piece of the galleon with it. That is what I'm considering.

[NeilFox]

I think it would look really cool if you could duplicate the ships ribs. I wouldn't be surpised if you couldn't find an old dilapidated rowboat somewhere and cut/break a section out and weight it down with rock. Treat it as was described earlier and perhaps fasten some barnacle and oyster shells to it. The outcome would be dead nautical. Check some local marinas. Often they have stuff that they must pay someone to remove if it was abandoned or the owner died etc.

[Zante]

That IS a good idea!
And it's so obvious I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. There IS a boat in Brighton that would fit the bill.

Thank you!

[NeilFox]

Keep us posted on the progress...

[Paul B]

I am not sure about wood, but beer cans are just fine. :beer:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/Budcanandcopperband.jpg (http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/Budcanandcopperband.jpg.html)

[Moort82]

I've seen wood used in a tank before. Iirc it was on 6 meter Pieters tank and was in his seahorse aquarium connected to the monster tank which would likely removal all the problems associated with wood through dillution alone.

[Spirofucci]

I would think that any wood would eventually rot and or give off something that you might not want in your tank. I am sure that there is a way to fabricate a resin or types of cement to form exactely what you want.

I do think this is a very cool idea!!!

[Myka]

Did this idea ever come to fruition?

[HippieSmell]

The sealant from paleobond might work to preserve the wood.

I just realized this is an old thread. Oh well