Petrified wood OK to use?

[AnneR]

Hi everyone! I recently recieved several pieces of petrified wood and was wondering if there were any disadvantages to using it in a tank for Danube Crested newts? or any amphibian in general. They look great, won't mold or rot, and doesn't turn the water dark. What I'm not sure of is if any minerals leech into the water and if so, will it cause harm? Picture below of a couple pieces. Thanks!

 

[apoplast]

In general, it will depend on what mineralized the wood. But most types of petrified wood should be okay. In the States, most of the petrified wood comes from northern Arizona and southern Utah. That stuff is safe to use in terms of leaching in my experience. That said, I and some friends of mine have found a pattern that suggests this stone can introduce a particularly pernicious form of blue-green algae (a bacteria) to the tank. It's not toxic, but it makes a mess of the tank and is hard to eradicate. ∴ I have begun disinfecting any petrified wood before introducing it into any of my tanks. Those are some nice pieces you have! I hope this is helpful.

 

[AnneR]

Great! It was boiled and scrubbed several times (no soap) over a few days. Hopefully that took care of any nastiness. Thanks for the info!

 

[lizm619]

If you are planning on submerging the petrified wood in water at all I found that it lowered the pH of my water significantly! So just a heads up.

 

[AnneR]

I will keep an eye on it, thank you!