Please say Yes, Can I use this in my tank??

Please someone tell me this is safe! I found AWESOME pieces of wood to use for in my 5 gallon. If someone can tell me if it's safe or not that would be awesome

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I don't see why you can't use it other than having to cut it down because its a little tall for a 5 gallon tank.

should be fine! I would still sink in bleach water for couple of days, but after that drop it in, wonderful looking wood.

Hi ShortyKiloGyrl,

Sorry, but I don't believe you can legally. Just as live plants from overseas need a phytosanitary certificate so do wood products. If imported illegally it is the buyer faces fines or incarceration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the importation of wood and wood products. APHIS requires wood and wood products to undergo certain phytosanitary procedures prior to importation in order to eliminate the risk of introducing non-native pests and diseases into the United States.

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:Hi ShortyKiloGyrl,

Sorry, but I don't believe you can legally.  Just as live plants from overseas need a phytosanitary certificate so do wood products.  If imported illegally it is the buyer faces fines or incarceration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates the importation of wood and wood products. APHIS requires wood and wood products to undergo certain phytosanitary procedures prior to importation in order to eliminate the risk of introducing non-native pests and diseases into the United States.

In the description they say "They were boiled and then soaked in aquarium water with fishes for 2-3 months before being taken out and dried for shipment."

Does APHIS give a description of what the "certain phytosanitary procedures" are? I completely get not introducing non-native pests and diseases. I mean come on, look at the banana slug population. lol Not many people know about that. I just want to know what the qualifications are to make it safe to bring into the US.

With my experience of international shipping the shipper has already made all the arrangements for the product to be shipped through customs. If the product is not packaged correctly, labeled correctly , or is not legal it won't pass through customs. Checking out the sellers profile it seems she sales a lot of stuff on eBay. Now, I could be wrong but I would feel safe to order from her. A couple thousand sales, all good reviews. This would lead me to all is well with this seller/shipper.

I would agree, I only suggest soaking in mild bleach water as a precaution. better safe than sorry.   

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:... look at the banana slug population. lol Not many people know about that.

I know this is a bit off-topic, but the Pacific Banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) is native to Washington.   

Brown slugs are non-native to the US they came in on ships with plants from over seas and took over killing out the banana slug population. Great example of non-native species invasion. Glad someone else knew that!

Oh!  Interesting.  I didn't know that... I see plenty of both in my yard.

In 4th grade my banana slug "Speedy" won the 4th grade slug races (all 3 classrooms!).  Brown slugs can't race for crap.    True Story!

Back on topic, good luck importing your wood.   

lol I do not doubt that at all. Banana's run compared to browns.

Hi All,

FYI according to US Customs it is the Buyer that bears the responsibility for a shipment into the United States including insuring proper inspection and documentation at the point of shipment.  According to APHIS there are two approved treatments for wood:

There are two treatment options for wood and wood products. Heat treatment involves the use of a kiln dryer or dry heat, such as a microwave energy dryer. Chemical treatment involves the use of a surface pesticide, preservative, or methyl bromide fumigation.

I sure wouldn't want to put something treated with pesticide or preservatives in my tanks.

I would certainly check with the seller and determine how the wood is treated so it can pass through US Customs, and insure the Phytosanitary Certificate will accompany the shipment before purchasing.

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:Hi All,

FYI according to US Customs it is the Buyer that bears the responsibility for a shipment into the United States including insuring proper inspection and documentation at the point of shipment.  According to APHIS there are two approved treatments for wood:

I don't see how this is so. The buyer has no control on what the shipper does. I can see some responsibility on the buyers part if they didn't research the seller/shipper. One would think with proper communication with the shipper and perhaps documented communication VIA email asking about shipping details would cover you if enquiry was ever presented. If this product was in violation of international shipping laws I would think it would be just confiscated.

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:There are two treatment options for wood and wood products. Heat treatment involves the use of a kiln dryer or dry heat, such as a microwave energy dryer. Chemical treatment involves the use of a surface pesticide, preservative, or methyl bromide fumigation.

I dug into the sellers profile. Over a thousand sells under her belt, 100% on the reviews. This would lead anyone to believe the seller/shipper is legit...right?

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:I sure wouldn't want to put something treated with pesticide or preservatives in my tanks.

   

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:I would certainly check with the seller and determine how the wood is treated so it can pass through US Customs, and insure the Phytosanitary Certificate will accompany the shipment before purchasing.

I agree with this as well. Communication with the seller/shipper maybe appropriate to determine wood treatment, and to answer any questions one might have about passing through customs. If the seller is legit they would be more than willing to share info.


Roy,
I just recently started making on-line purchases for plants. A few weeks ago inadvertently made a purchase from someone in Thailand. It was an eBay purchase and I was surprised when I received this package. I had to sign for it and the package came with allsorts of custom stickers on it. The plant was in perfect shape, and only took like 3 days to reach me. I gave the seller an excellent review and they returned the favor. At work we ship internationally. I have never heard of the buyer being directly responsible for shipments of our product. I just know that customs can be uptight and will reject shipment if all our ducks are not in a row and our customers will get uptight for delays in shipments.

Hi fishNAbowl,

I can only share the information that is available on the US Government websites and the what I have learned from the experiences of individuals on the various aquarium forums dealing with the issues of importing herbaceous items from overseas and some of the nasty consequences. What folks choose to do with the knowledge is up to them.

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Seattle_Aquarist wrote:Hi fishNAbowl,

I can only share the information that is available on the US Government websites and the what I have learned from the experiences of individuals on the various aquarium forums dealing with the issues of importing herbaceous items from overseas and some of the nasty consequences. What folks choose to do with the knowledge is up to them.

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Good read Roy, thank you.

I contacted the seller because I wanted these bad enough. She said she has never had a problem with customs or anything with the dead hardwood branches. She believes because they are dried and no longer alive they are of little concern. She said bark is one thing she can not export to the US. I would guess because it can harbor bugs.

 - They are neat pieces of wood!

Not sure about customs as i have never had an issue but... I have purchased many pounds of Indian Almond Leaves(betta and tannins for acara), as well as havong purchased "malasian mopani" wood. Not a pro here but i would guess customes doesnt have issues with it. I would agree with above that customs is concerned more with living matter then dead/dried matter. Thats my thoughts anyway. As to the OPs question... It says on the description its safe for aquatic animals and tanks...

I'm getting one for my tank and one for my mom's. I'm excited to put it in here!

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