Hunting the Elusive Wild Driftwood

[Ralph]

Driftwood prices have forced me to look elsewhere. But the only thing I could find at our local river was downed trees, just entire trees. I must be missing something, is there a secret to it?

I even check the wood piles that people put out in front of their houses for pickup. It is either too new or just sticks.

[ChloroPhil]

Try lakes and ponds.

[chavez720]

Have you tried any herp sites? I know a guy who has used grape wood with great success. He also used cork bark to make a hollow log in his aquascape. Believe he paid a lot less for this wood than the LFS driftwood. The only drawback is that this wood float so he soaked it for a few weeks to sink it.

Another thing is cypress knees in the Everglades - I will be travelling to FLA this month. Maybe we can make some sort of trade? Will be making a trip to the glades to get some native plants.

[Ralph]

Sounds like a fun trip. Cypress knees, are those the butresses? Let me know when you get back.
What kind of plants are you collecting, any philodendrons native to Florida?
Thanks for the lake and reptile suggestions, the hunt continues.

[chavez720]

I am not a botanist so I will be basically collecting any submerged plant that I can get my wet hands on. I did a trip in Dec and got quill wort, hydrocotyle, and a mystery plant that seems be doing rather well submerged. Looks like it will be a good foreground lawn plant (looks like wide leaf grass - maybe a Eleocarius, Sag., or Isoetes). Some lilies but are way to big for the aquarium.

Yes the buttreses and the pieces of root that grow from the trunk.

[thebaglady]

Two summers ago we were at Mesa Verde (in AZ) the cave dwellings...It was like I died and went to driftwood heaven!

Of course, my husband wouldn't let me "take it" from a Natl. park so I was willing to make a deal with the docents. I pleaded with them, do you know how much this stuff is worth up my way...this is premium stuff!! We could make some real $$$ just off the "rubble" that's on the ground!!

They just looked at me with eyes wide open and laughed. I wish I could post pictures. The stuff was to die for. :P

[Ralph]

They didn't let you take it? Those rangers are so picky.

My son and I went on another hunt today and I actually found a piece. I literally stumbled upon it, it was the only one we saw all day that wasn't an entire tree or small branches. And it was a different color than all the others, it was white instead of brown. I must have thought that I had a 125 gal though, because it was two feet too long for my 50. I'm going to cut it up a little and use all the pieces in some kind of arrangement. We did get some funny looks hauling it out, I don't know what the land designation is there. Maybe they just thought it was weird to be taking wood home.

Where could I find that? In the Everglades?


Ronald

[henryD]

Make sure you you treat the wood when you get it. The beach is a great place to find this stuff if you live near the ocean. That is where I got mine. But even the store bought stuff put in a pot of hot water and let it boil for awhile. You don't want to pass anything to your discus..

[thebaglady]

Ralph...next time just pretend it's a walking stick! LOL

[Ralph]

Great idea! but it was so heavy that I was dragging it out, I think the walking stick ploy would have been a credibility issue.

[thebaglady]

ROTFLMAO ;D ;D How about this, you're going to build a tepee, you actually need two or three of these "sticks" so if anyone else sees any....you give them your card!!

[Ralph]

Hi Officer, I'm just on my way to a log rolling contest. It's BYOL.

[thebaglady]

Your Boy Scout troop is working on their cars for the Pinewood Derby....it's a big troop!!