I don't know the characteristics of grape vine in aquariums, but the
mention gives me pause. I vaguely recall some issue with it, so I
recommend that you research this a bit more before going ahead. Note
that what is fine for birds will not necessarily be fine for fish, for
example, birds don't have to 'breath' the oils which come out of the
wood.
--
www.NetMax.tk

"Mermaid" wrote in message
...
Thank you Elaine,
Again you come to my aid.
I just happen to have a daughter that lives on James Island in
Charleston
SC. I will be giving her a call.LOL
I did not even think of the Ocean. What about brackish areas? Is it
salty
enough to kill stuff?
I bought a piece of grape vine that is actual for reptiles and for
birds to
chew on.
I thought if it is ok for birds it should be ok for a tank.Right? Or
will it
rot quickly? I hope not, it wasn't cheap but very interesting looking.

Thanks,
Paulette


"Elaine T" wrote in message
...
Mermaid wrote:
Pardon my ignorance. What is the difference between driftwood and
bogwood?
Or is it the same thing? And if it is different, where can you
collect
or
purchase it? In years past have collected driftwood around the river
near my
home. But now I am more concerned about contaminants and polution,
in
addition to natural pests and parasites you have to get rid of. Is
bleach
enough to rid of all the nasties?

Just a newbie,
Paulette


Bogwood is usually tropical root wood like Mopani or mangrove that is
collected from underwater. It doesn't rot or rots only very slowly
and
sinks fairly easily. Driftwood is collected from rivers and beaches
and
usually floats until waterlogged (this can take many weeks). It can
be
any sort of wood. It's softer and tends to rot and fungus more
readily
than bogwood but comes in lots of interesting shapes and sizes and is
free if you live by the water.

Driftwood from the ocean won't harbor FW parasites since salt kills
them. To handle driftwood from FW, boil it if you can. You can boil
one half of the wood, flip it over, and boil the other half if your
pot
isn't big enough for the whole piece. Bleaching is not safe becuase
it's VERY hard to rinse bleach back out of wood. If the wood is too
large to boil, you can treat with potassium permanganate since it's
less
toxic and small amounts of residue won't harm your tank.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com