john hamilton wrote:
I want to make a tray to contain a thin layer gravel that will lift out of
an acquarium.

I thought I would use a plastic box lid cut down to size and with square
section strips of wood screwed to each of the edges to form a lip to keep
the gravel contained.

Since the wood will permanently be under water ( that's fresh not salt
water) would ordinary pine be alright to use (since this is what I have
already), or would I be best getting some kind of hard wood edging to make
this tray more durable over the long term? Thanks for advice.


The wood won't rot. Wood fungus needs damp, not wet, wood to live.
There has been 45,000-year-old kauri dug up in New Zealand that was
still workable, and bog and river logging is very popular. However, I'd
make sure your screws are stainless steel to avoid corrosion. And
regarding durability, how often are you going to handle this tray? I
can't imagine that you would be changing fish tank gravel often enough
to wear out anything harder than balsa wood.

scritch