Driftwood

[xXMrBonesXx]

HI,

i live near a beach and i might go down and check and see if theres any good driftwood laying around and im just wondering how i would go about making it tank safe

Thanks

 

[stewartsthebest]

the two methods i know of are boiling, letting it sit in some water over night, and putting it in the oven... can anyone back me up on this cuz im no expert lol

 

[heresmike]

Yup... I've collected small pieces of driftwood that I've boiled, and had great success. I change the water frequently during the boiling process. This will help remove the nasties and the color that might otherwise leech into the tank water. Of course, if the driftwood is too big for a kettle, you'll have to use an alternative method

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

i have some pretty big cooking pots so tell me if this will be somewhat right

if i go get a piece, i bring it home and boil it for a couple days on the stove to make sure all the garbage is out of it then just to be safe boil once after then all id have to do is find a way to sink it?

 

[heresmike]

Boiling for a couple days might be going a bit overboard! I boil it for a few hours maybe.

Yup, then I weight it down with rocks for several weeks 'til it gets soaked enough to sink on its own.

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

well thats what i meant lol boil it for a few hours not for 2 days straight

and i plan on getting some sort of slate that will sit under the rocks so its not seen and using a stainless steel screw of some sort to attach it to the wood

 

[heresmike]

well thats what i meant lol boil it for a few hours not for 2 days straight

and i plan on getting some sort of slate that will sit under the rocks so its not seen and using a stainless steel screw of some sort to attach it to the wood

That'll work too!

 

[Aquascaper]

Remove any plants, moss, fungi, etc. with a stiff brush. Boil and simmer for about 1 hour (this will help leach out tannin and aslo help to expel air from the wood). Some people clean with bleach then wash and re-boil.

The longer you boil the wood the more tannins will leach out (tannin being the brown colouring). If you put wood into your tank and it turns the water brown don't worry, this will not harm the fish and regular water changes will clear it up.
You may also find after a few days/weeks white 'fluff' growing on your wood and in patches on your substrate. This again is not harmful to fish (my plecs loved it) and clears up eventually, in the meantime keep cleaning with a gravel filter to remove the majority of it.

HTH

 

[Aquascaper]

BTW i wouldn't recommend using any type of screws to fix wood in your tank. The best ways are either boiling & soaking till it sinks on it's own, or if you're impatient like me, attach the wood to a stone with a silicone tank sealant. By using the second method you can either choose a piece of stone that will be hidden under the substrate or one that will become a feature, your decision.

HTH

 

[ger87410]

MR bones, the method you are talking about taking is the same method that the lfs uses. That's all they do is sandblast the bark off, then attach a rock to it.

 

[karrihug]

MR bones, the method you are talking about taking is the same method that the lfs uses. That's all they do is sandblast the bark off, then attach a rock to it.

you forgot to add "charge you a fortune for it"

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

you forgot to add "charge you a fortune for it"

yeah no doubt, they have a piece in thier right now that is $49.99, and it look just like a chunk of wood on a rock, it doesnt have any extensions on it or anything it just has a little curve

 

[Aquascaper]

collect as much as you can and sell it to them

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

The longer you boil the wood the more tannins will leach out (tannin being the brown colouring).

you werent lying were you lol, im boiling right now an the water is pure brown lol