Driftwood??

stimpy · #1 09-27-2009, 03:14 PM

I have been to the seaside and found some interesting pieces of driftwood.I live on the west coast of British Columbia so most of these pieces are either fir or cedar in origin.I have boiled them,and now drying out.Has anyone used this type of dritwood?If so does it do well in a moist invironment,or does it get moldy? Ooops, forgot pictures

froggsong · #2 09-28-2009, 12:27 AM

Hmmmm... Normally cedar is a no-no (I'm not sure about fir), but once it has been driftwood... ::scratches head:: I'm really not sure. It is the aromatic oils that make cedar and pine woods inappropriate (and the fact that they are softwoods and will decay more quickly than more appropriate woods in a humid vive), and I'm not sure if being wet for a long time would leach it out... Does anyone else have any ideas?

Stimpy, how does it smell? Does it smell like cedar wood? If not, it should be fine... If so, I'd try to find something else myself (unless the smell is very faint)...

stimpy · #3 09-28-2009, 12:40 AM

Hmmmm, I did smell each piece, but none actually have any aroma.When I first collected the pieces they had a faint ocean smell,but I did boil them and then baked about 6 hours in a 250 degree oven.I really want to get started with the constuction phase.I had a really nice pond a few years ago,so I am trying to replicate a japanese garden theme in this project.I travel a lot and I am away sometimes for a couple months at a time so I doubt I will add any animals for now. I just love the plants and water features I have seen so far in this forum.Thanks for your input.I will keep you posted

froggsong · #4 09-28-2009, 01:46 AM

If they don't smell like cedar, I think they will be perfectly fine.

Unless they have alot of salt built up in them... You said you boiled them first, so it should be good.

beckdg · #5 09-28-2009, 08:56 AM

fir should be fine regardless. if you will never put an animal in with them cedar should be fine also. if there's a chance though i'd take into account what the cedar smelled like when it was boiling/baking. most likely if it's in a viv it will be heated and sprayed with water and therefore there's a chance for leaching in the future. if there will never be an animal in there the cedar might be a good thing to help keep insect infestations out while you're away.

i'd say to be on the safe side decide if you ever want the chance to put an animal in there and then choose accordingly on the cedar.

on a separate note if you do want an animal with your schedule it is most likely possible. you would need a full grown snake and short periods of at least a couple weeks between each trip to fatten them up before you leave though. the big deal would be to make sure to have a fail-safe or two to make sure that power outages do not become an issue. and never leave the cages unlocked. you could quickly be on the news for that one.

that's another thing to consider. even with plant only there's a chance that a power outage on a long trip can spell disaster, especially with tropicals. i hear that's not such an issue in BC though. is that true? just wondering.

i don't know if you have or not but taking a look around orchidboard and a couple more plant specific forums would help too.

Epiphile · #6 09-28-2009, 10:08 AM

My understanding is that people grow miniature orchids on cedar shingles often enough for me to assume it's not a problem.

How long did you boil that wood for? If those pieces are as big as they look I would imagine that it would take a while to get the salts out of it. Those would be my biggest concern with your wood.

What's the toxicity issue with cedar as far as pets are concerned? Just curious.

Oh, and cedar is famous for it's water resistant properties. If it grows on the we(s)t coast, chances are it's a good candidate. Then again, perhaps it's properties change after having spent time at sea- I'm not too sure.

beckdg · #7 09-28-2009, 11:09 AM

secretions, aroma... the same natural defenses that make them a good candidate for defense against insect invasion in a gardens and such can be harmful to larger species in an enclosed environment, especially when pertaining to respiratory issues. the exact chemical that is produced i cannot remember. surely froggsong knows it by heart. if not, a quick google search should come up with results.

Epiphile · #8 09-28-2009, 12:29 PM

A little concrete information on the subject (thanks for the Google suggestion, beckdg...):

Use of Cedar as a Substrate for Reptiles and Other Pets

Apparently this will be considerably less of an issue if the wood is long dead, but if you're considering pets in that tank I'd give it good long thought.

stimpy · #9 09-28-2009, 05:00 PM

Thanks for the reply. I did boil each piece for approx.20 minutes,took me all day to do them all! Some are a good size.After baking they are like petrified wood now,so I think they will be safe to use. I think some reptiles like iguanas need to stay away from anything cedar,so no danger of that in my viv! I did keep iggies a few years ago, however I don't have a lot of time to put into their care anymore.So will just stick with the plants for now:-)

Epiphile · #10 09-28-2009, 05:46 PM

Hopefully 20 minutes will be fine- has anyone else tried this and had problems with salts?