So I realize keeping a nice freshwater tank can get just as costly as any saltwater but, Why is Driftwood so dang expensive? Is it the long aging process of the wood that add cost or the uniqueness? I'm looking at getting one big piece for my tank that looks more like a root system with a lot of branches but there like $60 plus! Should I suck it up and buy or am I doing it wrong?

I paid $7 for a piece of mopani driftwood. It isn't large or anything (it is in a 10 gallon tank). It probably depends on what you want to get, I am sure that you would be able to find a nice piece for a little cheaper if you look hard enough.

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If you go to the for sale section there is someone selling Manzanita wood that is reasonable. It's usually not too expensive for the wood itself, but the cost of shipping is out there. I got 2 pretty good-sized pieces from the person mentioned and he threw in 2 free with it. I think it all cost me about $60. Mine were pretty large pieces.

You can always scout out for your own, but that has never appealed to me. I live by the Potomac River and there are literally tons of wood to choose from but I choose to buy it.

It is kind of crazy, and i plan to go searching for my own as soon as theres a break in the weather.

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"Being ignorant is not so much a Shame, as being unwilling to learn".-- Benjamin Franklin

I like collecting my own but it can be quite a lot of work.
I really like what this guy is offering:
*** Manzanita Driftwood*** buy 2 get 1 free :) ~ Ship/pu

If you go to Petsmart and look in the reptile sections there's inexpensive Mopani pieces. I paid $10 for a piece that's about 14" long with some interesting knots and high contrast grain patterns. I boiled it for a couple hours and let it soak for awhile and it looks great. Not bad for $10. It is a log though and not the intricate branches of the Manzanita being sold by the guy in the classifieds.

Well to me it is basic economice 101 stuff.

Driftwood (and anything else) is so dang expensive (assuming it sells) because people are selling and buying it for that price.

Only you can determine if that price is what you will pay for it.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden