Mopani Wood

[SludgeMunkey]

Sorry about the messed up link. Android OS is great but I have not figured out how to copy and paste a link. Try this one:

Caudata Culture Articles

Buck has the advantage as he can get natural, unprocessed mopani. The rest of us get debarked and sand blasted bits. With reptiles, mopani is king. With amphibians I suggest extreme caution in using it in aquatic or semiaquatic enclosures.

Mopani, also known as mopane is sometimes called the turpentine tree with good reason. It contains a high amount of various taxols, phenols and turpenines. This makes it bug and rot resistant but also potentially harmful to amphibians with their permeable skins.

No matter what the supplier claims, unless the wood is sealed with a water proof resin I highly recommend thoroughly soaking and then boiling the wood.

While tannins are present the risk of a low pH is very high. Soaking and boiling lowers this risk but regular and vigiliant tank maintenance is required.

There is a direct link to low pH of both water and substrate to acute renal failure (bloat) in amphibians.

[hyla]

Thank you all...I will definetely check out those plants, I think it will look much nicer than the fake stuff I have now. As for the wood, this is for a gray tree frog habitat so it isnt semi aquatic or aquatic at all. I have a small water bowl in there for soaking and the humidity stays pretty moderate. I dont like having that little voice in the back of my head saying "that might be poisoning your frog" so now I will have to decide whether or not to return it.

[hyla]

But to add, I just read that article and I did buy aquarium grade mopani so maybe I am ok afterall.