How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


adamant
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:34 pm

How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by adamant

I have recently found a large piece of driftwood on the bank of my local river. It has no bark on it and I can't really tell what kind of wood it is. My questions are: How can I make it safe for my tank since it is too big to boil? Should I use untreated water first to kill any bacteria and then use treated water? Also are there any types of wood that should never go in a tank? Any info or experiences with driftwood would be greatly appreciated. I do not want to have this thing screw my water up and/or kill all my stock. Thank you for any information that you share.


adamant
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:34 pm

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by adamant

Any advice, suggestions, and/or experience with driftwood would be greatly appreciated.


tetrafan
 
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 7:03 pm

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by tetrafan

Softwoods aren't good for aquariums (they rot) and you don't want to use any resinous wood either, like pine or cedar. Some woods are also too sappy or they leach poisonous compounds into the water. I've heard that elm and walnut are both dangerous in that regard.


ian06
 
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:55 pm

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by ian06

Use a stiff bristle brush to scrub it clean and then soak it in a container of water to help remove the tannins. Dump, rinse and repeat until the water is clearer.


adamant
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:34 pm

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by adamant

I have taken the piece of driftwood I want to use and cleaned it up with a sander to remove all of the soft or rotten wood. I also put it in a oven at 180° for 6hrs the first day and then for 3hrs at 225°. My hope is that should have killed any unwanted bacteria or anything that could harm my tank. It is currently soaking in a tub of dechlorinated water. Any ideas of how long I should soak it. It has been 4 days now and it's not even close to wanting to sink.


kate_kuhli
 
Posts: 268
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2016 2:04 am
Location: Florida

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by kate_kuhli

Yeah baking is about as good as boiling for killing bacteria so that should do it!

With the soaking, there's really no telling how long it'll take. Some pieces will sink almost right away and others will take weeks. It's very frustrating, I had a piece once that I was soaking in a cooler and it took forever. Some people get impatient and just anchor it down in the aquarium whichever way they're able to, so that's one option if you can't get it too sink for a long time.


speckledtail
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:56 pm

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by speckledtail

It sounds like some cool driftwood if it's that big! I should go check out local rivers I guess haha. Would love to see pictures after it's finished soaking!


richgp163
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:21 pm

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by richgp163

I found a large piece of driftwood washed up at a local reservoir. It was too big for any of my pots to boil. I pressure washed it, scrubbed it with a stiff brush and soaked it in a large bin. Changed the water every now and again and re-scrubbed and washed it every time I changed the water. Did this for 5months. When it came to using it, I boiled numerous pots and kettles of water. Filled the bin up with hot water and kept topping it with more hot when it began to cool. Despite all this soaking it was still buoyant and needed tying down. None of my fish have shown any signs of illness so far.


greenamy
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:27 am

Re: How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

by greenamy

Here is an article I ran across. I have treated some in my tub using the methods mentioned in this article. I was able to tell one piece that was really cool was soft wood during the process and had to toss it. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/driftwood/

How to make large driftwood safe for your tank.

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