Commonly used in many natural type aquarium settings. Hard root wood found in pet stores is probably the safest type of wood to use. Wood is organic and can decompose. It is suggested to verify its condition if water quality problems arise. It is normal for wood to discolor aquarium water at the beginning. Pre-soaking can help reduce this phenomenon. The use of activated carbon is also effective at removing this discoloration. An excellent method of keeping driftwood clean is to keep ancistrus or plecostomus (clown plecostomus) species which scrape and ingest it as part of their diet.

Driftwood adds an interesting dimension to many aquariums and provides an ideal anchor for plants such as Anubias barteri, Bolbitis heudelotii, and Vesicularia dubyana (Java Moss).