I found this piece of trunk and I'm thinking of putting it in my tank. It's about 5" tall and a foot wide. It's old, dusty and been in the cabin for years. I think there's some oil or grease spilled on it too. I don't know what kind of wood it is. How should I clean it? Should I consider putting it in the tank?

No.
You better get a new piece instead of risking contamination of your tank by the oil or grease.
And not all species of wood go well in a tank.
Better take the safe option and get some real bog or driftwood.
I don't think it's worth the risk.
I got my huge piece of wood by a secondhand site and found it in my hometown.



I like driftwood as you can see!

thats a good background what is it

It's a good thing I asked here first. Nice setup you got there. Cool background.

jedohara7 wrote:

Thanx,it's DIY styrofoam and epoxiresin, covered with some years of rasped off algae.

Noddy wrote:


u know noddy i have thought about doing that myself, i have the know how and skills to use fiberglass and resin (was my job for over 2 years) but... my question... how the hell do you keep it from floating??? styrofoam is very light compared to the water lol.

www.aquariumlife.net/projects/diy-decoration/17.asp

Dont put any old wood into your tank. You need wood that wont rot quick, most use bogwood as it grows in wet areas and so is very rot resistant. Also dont put anything that is contaminated in your tank especially with oil or grease!!!! Its best to dig deep and buy the proper wood

delboybully wrote:

Its best to dig deep and buy the proper wood[/quote]
x2

Definitely agree, splash out a little better and get some proper wood, not only will it look nice, it will be totally safe to put in your tank.

Win wrote:
[quote][

u know noddy i have thought about doing that myself, i have the know how and skills to use fiberglass and resin (was my job for over 2 years) but... my question... how the hell do you keep it from floating??? styrofoam is very light compared to the water lol.

[/quote]
leave the backside of the styrofoam flat and it can be siliconed to the tank.

oh i see!

getting the background out of the tank is impossible, though...
That's something to keep in the back of your mind, before you start with a background like that.
It's pretty permanent.