Using wood other than driftwood or bogwood can be very risky. Some tree sap can be toxic. Wood that rots also adds ammonia. Too much ammonia will crash your bio-filter. If it is truly driftwood (driftwood meaning dead wood that has been submerged for a few years and is very hard with no sign of rot/mold, dead tree roots this way are usually the best) it should be ok.Adding moss can make your little eco-system go nuts, minimal problems would be algae blooms. Plants from ponds are OK if they are aquatic plants, ie: Elodea. terrestrial and some bog plants can be a problem.--- How long to let the tank sit before adding any fish? If you are using live plants the best thing to do is get them going first. When they are thriving then slowly stock fish. Don't rush, let the plants grow in the water for a month or so. Usually after 2 weeks live plants will reveal problems with water chemistry and if any parasites are on them "most" will die off without fish hosts. If using artificial plants leting water the aquarium sit for more then 48 hours is usless unless you are doing a fishless "cycle". My advise is set up this aquarium with aquatic plants, and driftwood from a pet store until your get used to whats going on. Do a search on yahoo/google for "freshwater aquarium nitrogen cycle" , or search it at www.about.com . Compatible lighting, water chemistry and fish are needed to have a natural looking aquarium, if you mean live plants, driftwood etc. I am assuming you are doing a freshwater tropical fish aquarium with this advise. Most plants from N. America are not found in tropical streams and ponds where these fish come from. Big time herbivore fish will eat the plants in one night if they are not growing fast. So alot of research is necessary before stocking. To add, to make some wood safe for the aquarium it can be coated with aquarium safe clear epoxy. This could get a little costly, but if you want to try do a search.

Thankyou so much for your help. I will be rethinking using the plants naturally growing in the springs or bog areas.

I'll have to research what is growing in and at the spring edges to see what they are and what parasites they might hold.

Perhaps I'll begin by doing "pond like" section out in the yard and then transfer to inside if possible.

Most parasites will die off with no hosts (fish). You can QT the plants for a month or more in a tank or even a bucket of fresh water. Add some lighting and nutrients to preserve life. After a month+ time place them in with the fish.