Driftwood

[GeraldTheMouse]

I was thinking about going over to this one pond a few blocks away, to get some driftwood for my tank. How long should I soak it for? Or can I just plop it in my tank?

 

[Lotus]

Anything you take from a body of water that you have no control over has the potential to bring with it disease, parasites or pollutants. You could soak it for several weeks in a bucket, and maybe boil it.

Personally, I'd rather buy it and not take the risk.

 

[seastaar88]

i've never had any issues using native driftwood. if it will fit in the oven, i like the oven method by baking the piece at ~400* for 20-30 minutes to kill off any nasties. then i scrub the piece under the faucet and rinse it really well.

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

Okay, thanks. I bet having some driftwoodin my tank would make my fish really happy, and me too.

 

[Firebug]

Oh yes! Driftwood is a very good piece of decor to have in a tank! You could also just boil it for hours..I myself boil driftwood (some that I bought at a petshop) for 6-8 hours, and then soaked it over night, and then repeated the process the next day (boil it for 6-8 hours and soaked it again in water overnight).. But every piece of driftwood is different.