Manzanita Aquarium Wood
Manzanita aquarium wood is also sometimes called manzanita driftwood when the bark has been sandblasted off. Manzanita wood is used in aquariums for its appearance and for its physical and chemical properties, which make it a healthy choice for your aquarium.
Manzanita wood grows into many unique shapes and tends to bend and twist as it grows. Straight pieces of manzanita wood can be rare. Its natural bark is a dark reddish color and is very attractive. For many uses, manzanita branches are prized for the appearance of the bark. For aquarium wood it is often sandblasted to strip the bark off to reveal the wood underneath. The bare sandblasted wood looks more like natural driftwood.
The unique, irregular and branching shapes of manzanita wood is both visually appealing in an aquarium and also provides good habitat for aquatic life. Branches are used and manzanita stumps with their complex root wads are also popular and make great hiding places for fish and other animals. They also look great with live or even artificial plants.
Manzanita wood is very dense and durable wood that resists decay and even in a wet environment it will last a long time. Manzanita wood is non resinous and is considered to be non toxic to fish and other animals. As with most wood, it will release some tannins when submerged in water but after soaking it for a couple weeks, most of it will leach out. Because of this, it is recommended that you soak the wood in water before you put it in your aquarium. Some also recommend that you boil any wood for 15 minutes before putting it in your aquarium.
There may still be trace amounts of tannins released from the wood after soaking it, but that shouldn’t be any problem. In nature it is common to find wood decaying and releasing tannins and other chemicals in many habitats including water.
Manzanita wood is heavy but still buoyant and will float for a while. If you want your manzanita aquarium wood to sink, you will have to attach weights or allow it time to become saturated with water before trying to submerge it. The amount of time this will take for the wood to saturate will depend on its size but can be anywhere from a few days to several weeks.