Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok while i was camping and boating this weekend i picked up some nice peices of driftwood, way more then i need and will more then likely give away (wink, wink).

how do i know which peices are peices that will last in a dart habitat? these peices look like they have been a drift for a while. no bark on them, they look a little bleached. they come from a freshwater lake in central West Virginia.

thanks
aj
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making UPDATED 6.15.03 SPOILER! Still Needs Moss View At Your Own Risk

Since there is no way of knowing what kind of wood it is-- hard, soft, dense or otherwise, why not just try it? If it deteriorates, you can always remove it or just let it go back to nature as it would in the woods. If it isn't punky after being in the water long enough to bleach out, it's probably going to last even longer in a vivarium. These experiments are very unlikely to harm either your frogs or any other critters you keep, and nothing but plastic lasts nearly forever. There is such a thing as worrying too much. Sometimes you just have to go for it and take a chance. With all of the careful research you have done-- enough to answer some posted questions intelligently yourself before you've even obtained your first dart frogs, you aren't going to make any fatal or stupid mistakes.

We've already been through the gauntlet of advice on sterilizing it, so let's not repeat that one.

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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

ya i already know how im going to treat it. i just wanted to see if theres a defanent "no-no factor" is the character of the wood. and like i said before i have more then enough and will probibly give it away...
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Click Here to See My Dart Tank In The Making UPDATED 6.15.03 SPOILER! Still Needs Moss View At Your Own Risk