Cholla Wood

Also sold as Cholla · Cholla cactus wood

Synonyms Choya wood · Cholla skeleton

Cholla Wood is a piece of aquarium driftwood sold by the piece, typically around 12 × 3 × 3 cm (4.7 × 1.2 × 1.2 in). In the water it leaves the water chemistry alone, tints the water lightly, and floats until it is waterlogged.

At a glance

Material	Wood
Raises hardness	No
Tannins	Some
In the water	Floats until waterlogged
Edges	Smooth
Prep	Boil
Default size	12 × 3 × 3 cm (4.7 × 1.2 × 1.2 in)

Before it goes in

Cholla Wood is inert: it will not move KH, GH or pH, so it is safe in a shrimp tank and in soft water.
It leaches some tannins and tints the water lightly at first; the colour fades over a few months.
It floats until it is waterlogged. Soak it for a few weeks, or hold it down with rock, or it will lift the scape.
Before it goes in, boil it.
5 different pieces of Cholla Wood are modelled, so the one you place looks like one you could actually pick out of the bin.
A default piece is 12 × 3 × 3 cm (4.7 × 1.2 × 1.2 in); you can stretch it to whatever you bought.

Does it raise pH and hardness?

No. It is inert, so KH, GH and pH stay where your tap water puts them.

Does it sink?

Not at first. It floats until it is waterlogged, which takes a few weeks of soaking — or hold it down with rock in the meantime.

Do I need to prepare it?

Yes: boil it before it goes in.

Will it tint the water?

A little, mostly in the first months, and it fades.

What it goes with

Plants you can tie or glue straight onto it: Anubias nana 'Petite', Subwassertang, Anubias barteri and Bucephalandra 'Green Wavy'.
Substrates that leave the water where it is, the same as this one does: Walstad, ADA Amazonia and Colored Gravel.

Often compared with

	Cholla Wood	Ghost Wood	Spider Wood
Raises	None	None	None
Tannins	Some	Some	Some
In water	Floats at first	Floats at first	Floats at first
Prep	Boil	Soak	Soak

More hardscape

Plan a tank with Cholla Wood →

Sources (2) · checked Sep 2026

Tannins, Sinkingbuceplant.com
Sinkingaquaticarts.com