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I’m not quite sure I see the resemblance, but it sounds pretty cool. I suppose Dragon Stone doesn’t look like dragon scales…but it’s still a cool moniker.Moss wall art has and is becoming increasingly popular among individuals and businesses that want to bring a little life to their walls without arduous maintenance.

Known by various common names such as redmoor root and azalea root, Spider Wood takes its name from its own famously gnarling, spiraling branches that supposedly resemble a dead spider.This page may contain affiliate links that allow us to make a small commission (at no further cost to yourself). 💚 Thank you for helping to support the tribe!Conversely, if you have attempted to deliver a more pristine aesthetic, you may find yourself having to replace broken branches and rotten pieces over time.

Boiling is the most failsafe route to take. You could consider bathing your wood in a hydrogen peroxide solution but, to be honest, that’s a little extra.The different species of the shrub-like Rhododendron genus offer a variety of sizes, shapes and even colours; with hues ranging from brown and reddish, to a light tan.

And if you were to launch your toast into the next realm of taste, you would need jam. In the case of terrariums and aquariums, we’re talking moss, lichens, and plants.Spider Wood is often used in large background pieces that create three-dimensional depth, or as curling vines that ‘connect’ your hardscape together like branches.

Finally, do not forget you can break apart and reconstruct Spider Wood to suit your vision. Wonderful sculptures, arches, trees and bridges can be formed this way.Your main challenges are likely to be mould and/or sinking the wood in an aquarium, but today I’ve given you the tools to overcome these issues and get started with your new favourite material.

I will say that although we’ve talked about Spider Wood in its capacity to enhance a terrarium or aquarium design, that’s hardly the limit of its creative potential.Among the different driftwoods, Spider Wood is easily one of the most sought after. Its versatility gives it an allure among terrarium and aquarium hobbyists alike.

Various flora can grow through and wrap themselves around the branches of Spider Wood. While driftwood alone may look a little dead (it is dead, to be fair) you can easily resurrect an organic essence by encouraging other life to take hold of it.The combination of selection and placement is key in bringing a dynamic scene to life, and when it comes to organic hardscape – nothing does that better than Spider Wood.

I have found Spider Wood again gives a design an edge that cannot be achieved with any other material. The winding, reddish roots can make a picture sing.

Spider Wood is a softwood, meaning it is easier to clean and much easier to implement within terrariums than harder, heavier woods. The latter may risk damage to your glassware.

Manzanita will not discolor the water all that much, in my experience. A lot of people give it a good rinse and just “plunk it down” into their tank, perhaps securing it so it won’t float up, and call it a day. I’ve done that before, but I prefer to pre-soak it a bit before immersing it in the aquarium. Why? Well, like anything terrestrial and dried out (that’s a good chunk of what we offer, huh?), you need to give wood pieces a decent rinse, to rid their surfaces and crevices of debris, dust, etc. The soak helps them: a) continue to rid themselves of any surface dirt, b) allow any sugars remaining in the dermal layer of the wood to leach out a bit, and c) really let the water penetrate into the deeper layers of the wood structure, assuring that it will stay down.First off, we have the major star of our wood show, Manzanita. We’ve written about Manzanita’s origins before, so I won’t bore you with that. However, I will give you a little more on its preparation and use in the aquarium. First off, I’m not exactly certain why, but Manzanita takes a pretty “predictable” amount of time to waterlog and sink..In my experience, it’s almost always like 4 days at the most for pieces up to about 20″ in length. It’s almost uncanny how accurate this is! Sure, some will sink in a day, but most, for me- are 4 days and they’re sunk!

Yes, we think having the tannins and humic substances in the water from wood is a good thing! However, think about this for a second. When you boil wood, it’s to saturate it and sink it, and also to “crack off” some of the bound-up dirt and/or pollutants found in the surface layers of the wood (same goes for botanicals). So, my thinking is this: Why would you want to add what is essentially a concentrated “stew” of these things- the very materials you are really trying to eliminate, right? Yes, there are tannins, but your wood will produce far more over it’s “operational lifetime” submerged in your tank than you will lose by dumping the “tea” in the garden. Well, that’s my two cents worth!For some reason, and I’m not sure what it is- Manzanita tends to “recruit” a white, cottony fungus on it surface sometimes during the first few weeks. The first thing you need to know is that this stuff is harmless. It just looks like &*&%$. It typically will go away on its own with minimal intervention on your part, but you could always give it a good scrub with a soft-bristle brush (like an old toothbrush), and a rinse in freshwater. Alternatively, you could employ shrimp, Otocinculus catfish, or even your trusty Pleco to help rid the surfaces of this ugly-looking stuff. Of course, you can just wait it out and let it run its course, but I cannot blame you for not wanting to wait and watch your nice piece of wood emerged in “cotton balls” for a few weeks. This wood darkens a bit over time, taking on a dramatic, beautiful “patina” which is, in our opinion, undeniably attractive.

The final member of our popular wood “triad” is “Spider Wood.” This stuff is, as we say here in L.A. “gnarly!” and amazingly useful for ‘escaping! It’s a pretty light wood and typically will float for a while before eventually settling down. Some pieces sink quickly. Others require a lot of patience on your part. We had this grandiose idea that we’d sell it “ready to use” and try to pre-soak the wood here before we offer it for sale, but the reality is that, once it dries out again, it…floats. Hey, we tried. So purchase this would with the mindset that you’ll have to do some soaking.What An AWESOME website. It’s set up like the aquariums and products featured on here—minimalist and classic. If you want a ‘classy’ aquarium, look NO further. I personally LOVE the look tannins add to my glass tank. I do, however, have a question for all of us who also have expensive acrylic aquariums. Will the tannins stain the acrylic permanently? I will still be purchasing from you but I just want to know if I need to soak and boil for even more time if I’m putting things in my acrylic. My glass I love tea colored! And my fish get along better. It’s true!

No one will ever debate the attractiveness of driftwood in the aquarium (well, some might, but they’ll be roundly and deservedly thumped by fellow aquarists!), and the extra understanding, appreciation, and time it takes to get to know what you’re dealing with when employing it is well worth the beautiful aesthetic results that it can bring to your aquascape!Great question. As a long time acrylic aquarium user, I’ e noticed over the very long term (a couple of years), that you might experience some slight discoloration of acrylic..Of course, there are numerous factors- ranging from the pH of your water, to the specific “tinting” materials used…I think it’s something you probably needn’t worry about too much, but it is a consideration!

The good news is that Xylophagic (wood eating) loricariids (your Plecos!) will use this stuff like a “chew toy”, and love to rasp at it over time, slightly “modifying” your wood’s appearance as it ages. This is a pretty cool phenomenon, and a lot of fun to watch!Oh, and it leaches some tannins. Yup. Like all woods, Spider wood tends to leach out a fair amount of tannin for a few weeks at least. Again, the key to reducing the amount of tannins being released into your tank is essentially the same as what it takes to sink it: patience, and the passage of time. A few weeks weighted down in a container of water, along with regular changes of the water in the container, and you’ll be good.

I’m confused! Tannins are good but all the google searches bring up ‘how to remove’ tannin from your tank. Driftwood is good but it carries bugs so best boil it first. So I’ve soaked petrified tree roots (good wood, didn’t float so its quite petrified) for a couple of weeks and still I was wary about bugs, so I boiled them for a few hours. I now have a pot of ‘tannin tea’. Some say put it in the tank, some say it is useless because it has been boiled. I’m confused. Are tannins worth keeping ???

The patient hobbyist understands this, and plays a “long game”, taking the time to properly prepare the wood for aquarium use, and embracing and understanding how the wood reacts with its aqueous environment. One of the questions we receive quite often is about the aquatic wood that we offer, and how best to prepare it; what the affect is on water, etc. Let’s take a quick look at the most popular wood types that we offer, and a few comments on their preparation and aquarium use. We receive a fair number of questions here at Tannin, about our products, their usage, and impact on the aquariums they are to be used in. We love this kind of stuff, because it tells us that hobbyists are engaged and interested in what we offer. When you’re concerned at how a botanical is going to affect your ____ gallon aquarium with (insert favorite fish here) in it, means that you’re engaged and interested…and we love that!So there you have the briefest of rundowns on dealing with our most popular aquascaping wood. As you can tell, they all have some similar “habits”, such as being bouyant, leaching tannins, and recruiting biofilms/fungus. The next popular wood we work with is “Mopani” wood, from Africa. We’ve also written loads on this beautiful wood in the past, right here in our blog. This is a heavy, beautiful wood which looks amazing. Unlike the more “mild mannered” Manzanita, Mopani apparently has no qualms about releasing a lot of tannins during it’s “curing” process, and beyond. This stuff packs a serious wallop, which I personally love (I know you’re shocked by that). I’ve seen a small (roughly 10″ long) piece stain the water thoroughly and beautifully brown in a 20 gallon aquarium in just a couple of days, even after a two day soak in fresh water! You will be receiving one (1) piece of Spider wood or a pack of three (3) pieces of spider wood. Each pieces will be between 8 to 16 inches in length. All pieces of spider wood are unique in shape and size. We only send pieces that we would happily put in our own aquariums. These are some spectacular pieces of wood!

Spider wood is different than most driftwood in the fact that it has been dried out to be lightweight for shipping purposes. This means that it will not sink immediately and will need weighted down for about a week until it is fully saturated again. The amount of tannins released by spider wood is much less than Mopani and Malaysian driftwood which is appealing in some cases. Once your spider wood has been submerged there is a potential for a white film to develop. The film is not harmful and will be eaten by some fish, all shrimp, and snails.Spider wood is a very unique type of wood used in the aquarium hobby. The wood has lots of extensions giving it a tree like appearance. Spider wood is often a popular choice when aquascaping aquariums do to the amount of plants that can be attached to the branches.

Spider Wood is a unique type of wood used in the aquarium hobby. It is called spider wood due to the multiple branches protruding from the main body, a characteristic unique to spider wood.If the pieces of wood are small enough to fit in a pot, boiling the wood is a definite way to kill bacteria as well as saturate the wood from tannins that will lead to water coloration.

No. Spider Wood and driftwood are two completely different types of wood. Spider Wood is a type of porous cavity–forming bamboo, while driftwood is a type of tree branch or log that has been weathered and eroded away by water or wind from its origin.If you are learning about this unique type of driftwood for the first time, I truly hope this guide was helpful and provided a good understanding of how to properly manage it.Spider wood, is a type of softwood, typically found in Central and South America. It‘s easy to work with, lightweight, and has a unique, intricate grain pattern. It can be used in a variety of ways, from interior decor to musical instrument components.Spider wood is a great option for aquarium décor because it naturally sinks when placed in water. The exact time it takes for spider wood to sink varies depending on the size and density of the piece, however typically it takes anywhere from a few hours to several days for the wood to fully submerge.

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Spider Wood is a unique type of wood used in the aquarium hobby. It is called spider wood due to the multiple branches protruding from the main body, a characteristic unique to spider wood. Spider wood also resembles a tree which makes it popular for a “Bonsai” aquascape. The branchy character of spider wood allows for hiding spots for fish and shrimp, as well as spots to place plants, like anubias and bucephalandra.Spider wood will not sink immediately and will need to be weighted for about a week until it is fully saturated. The amount of tannins released by spider wood is much less than Mopani and Malaysian driftwood which is appealing in some cases. Once your spider wood has been submerged there is a potential for a white biofilm to develop. The biofilm is not harmful and will be eaten by some fish, all shrimp, and snails. It is important to note that some types of plecos will eat the spider wood because it is soft compared to other driftwood types.

Now, I’ve always liked this stuff, and we’ve pretty much always sold this stuff as “Hand-Selected Pieces” (ie; random ones we pic FOR you!), which are just as good as when we used to sell them as WYSIWYG…And better for you, because it costs less when we don’t have to photograph each piece! I mean, they ALL pretty much have unique attributes and almost every piece looks good from one or more angles.Oh, and it does tend to recruit a fair amount of gooey fungal/biofilm growth shortly after submersion, often to the horror of the unaware…So, if ever there were a candidate for “pre-soaking” wood before using in the aquarium, “Spider Wood” is it. Granted, this growth will usually subside after a few weeks of submersion, and some well-timed scrubbing with a soft-bristled brush.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that “Spider Wood”, although stupidly easy to work with, has its own set of quirks. It has some really gnarled shapes- which is awesome, but you need to think about it if you’re trying to use a few larger pieces in your ‘scape. Often the pieces are rather challenging to “fit together” if your goal is to make it look like they are part of one “organic formation”, if you will, so you really have to use some forward vision if that’s your goal and you’re using the larger-sized pieces.