DIY driftwood?

[beckyd]

What do you do to driftwood to make it safe for your tank? I live in coastal Florida and don't trust anything around me to be truly freshwater, but I am going to Iowa next week. We are going boating and I would love to collect some freshwater wood for my tanks. I don't know what to get or what to do with it though. Thanks for your advice!

 

[MissFishy]

It's hard to ever know if driftwood is completely tank safe. Even if you find it in a stream, it could still be contaminated with pollution/toxins, etc. If you're determined to try, make sure to boil the driftwood thoroughly before adding it to your tank. I've added rocks I've found outside to my tanks after boiling, but I wouldn't personally try wood.

 

[OrangeCones]

I live in Iowa and have 6 pieces of wood in my tank. All were found outside, all boiled for hours (stump stew!) and all sunk after a time. Be patient, it does take time to get them to sink (and removes the tannins).

Just make sure it is a hardwood, not softwood (like pines).

 

[beckyd]

I think I'm too nervous to try it. I don't know how to identify hard vs soft. I will read up in case I see something worth trying. I like the big pieces, which it occurs to me are too big to boil in anything I own anyway.

I bought a really beautiful piece at the LFS. They said it was prepared specifically for tanks and just to rinse it well and float it in the tub until it sinks. Its been 3 days. Is it ever going to sink?

 

[MissFishy]

That's the hard part with driftwood, waiting until it sinks! I've heard boiling it can help with sinking as well, it took probably a month for my large piece to completely sink without boiling. I had to weight it down with heavy rocks.

 

[beckyd]

Wow! I would not have figured that out without asking. Thanks!
As I cannot figure out how to boil a 3 1/2 foot tree, I will start trying to figure out how to weight it down

 

[Scooper]

Boiling does help with sinking and removing any harmful critters or toxins.