Treating Branches

[Paul]

I have some branches with the bark stripped off in my tank. They get a little moldy and I was wondering if I should varnish them. I haven't done for fear of poisoning the snails as varnish would probably degrade in a damp environment and flake off.

But, I was reading about how Lissachatina fulica routinely eat the cellulose paint on peoples houses. They can process cellulose so it is a valid meal. So now I'm thinking my caution may be unfounded.

What do you think? I ask because I could make a lot more, really good climbing places that would be less problematic with mold or rotting and the cork bark you buy is never great for producing a climbing frame if you see what I mean.

I stripped the bark and bleached it like reptile owners do. I then waited for the bleach to evaporate. Before anyone cries out "bleach!" I'd like to point out that cuttlefish is heavily bleached to make it white and as anyone who has tried to bleach mold will know, within a week or so, the mold grows back. So I know that bleach becomes safe given time, and I waited months...

Thoughts please....

[sezzy5889]

That sounds great, not that i know much about that kind of thing, lol.
But what about wood stainer, could you use that because i use it on rabbit runs etc because it doesn't harm the animals when eaten and it doesn't harm garden snails so i doubt it would harm GALS

[copigeon]

There was an artical on, painting bog wood with poly varnish to prevent it from leaching tanin I stumbled on last night after looking into its acidity. If poly varnish is safe for aquatic setups.... PVA glue thinned down is fairly harmless also? a few coats of that?

Why would you want to prevent the natural breakdown of the wood though? the mould etc. The sake aesthetics? or easy cleaning?

Would avoid woodstain, as it doesnt "cure" just soaks into the wood to preserve it, much like creosote (sp) just minus the toxic effect.

[Paul]

With regard to strain, once it turns or evaporates I suppose there is little left but I would worry about it soaking right in and not drying.

I don't want it rotting if I can help it because it took hours to prepare the wood, lol. I did that because I didn't want any nasties from it, and the reptile shop advised me because things can lay dormant eggs behind the bark, he'd learned the hard way.

I'd like it to be easier to clean, and I wonder about the kind of mold that grows in an indoor setup. It isn't controlled by competing interests like it is outside so you could end up growing something dangerous. Not that I think that is a big problem particularly.

I'd like to keep it natural looking really but I wondered if matt vanish is more like to flake. And although that article is suggesting they can eat and digest it, I don't want them to. But hopefully with more tempting food on offer they'll not do it often, if at all.

[copigeon]

If you dry the wood out, completely, in a low temp oven? or even on a radiator if its that shape/size to manage it, it would absorb a weak pva solusion or poly varish. Wouldnt flake as long as it doesnt have a thick layer, but seal the woods surface and prevent mold. If it was a thin enough solusion of the above, the wood would retain its natural texture. Try some thinned down pva on a very dry test peice? But the would will have to be very dry regardless of what you use or it'll just flake away like you say.
I say pva because it seems the most harmless thing? which is also water based, and when it soaks into something and cures doesnt break down. But poly varnish would be better?
Anything that just sits on the surface will have a tendancy to peal off eventually.

[Paul]

nice one, I'll see about getting some poly-varnish for a test.

[sonicsnail]

admin said:

I did that because I didn't want any nasties from it, and the reptile shop advised me because things can lay dormant eggs behind the bark, he'd learned the hard way.

I don't want any things like that in with my GALS! All I did with my pieces of bog wood and bark was wash them well under water....