Getting Real Driftwood

[XxTbaggerxX]

Im going to go to the a lake here soon and Im going to go around the shore and collect some driftwood thats floating around. My friend said to just boil the driftwood for a while and clean it for a while. Will this work and be safe for my fishes, cause I dont have the money right now to buy anything.

 

[guppymonkey]

Regular driftwood should be okay but you have to make sure that you boil it for a long time. I would say to boil it for at least an hour. You should try to make sure the wood is aged and doesn't have any sap left in it. The sap would just be a complete mess and the wood would break down quickly in the water ruining your water quality. Boiling it also has the added bonus of making sure that the driftwood will sink in your tank and not float at the top until it gets soaked.

 

[XxTbaggerxX]

How can I tell if the wood is aged enough?