How do you prepare Drift wood you pick up from around the lake

wackamole · 03-09-2005, 09:20 AM

I was wondering is there any special way to prepare drift wood you find around the lake for your fish tank?Mainly because i'm tired of paying almost 5 dollars a pound for some piece of drift wood i can get at the lake near my house.Do you have to boil it or something?

maxpayne_lhp · 03-09-2005, 09:32 AM

Most ppl boil them up! (the more you boil, the surer can they sink down) that also helps you get rid of unwanted organisms and bacteria. Remember to wash it thruly before boiling.
Hoe that helps! Luck!

**TheOldSalt** · 03-09-2005, 10:28 AM

Boiling helps quite a bit, but not enough. After boiling, soak the wood in a bucket until it stops turning the water brown within two weeks. Change the water every two weeks.
This will take a few months at least. Now you see why processed wood is so expensive?

If you fail to do this, the wood will turn your tank into a tannic, toxic, teapot with alarming swiftness.

Mr Aquarium · 03-09-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

If you fail to do this, the wood will turn your tank into a tannic, toxic, teapot with alarming swiftness.

I can belive this to an exstent, BUT, unless it is something like cedar, or some colored try of wood i can buy it, but i dropped 14 pieces of wood in my tank and my water was brown for about a month and a half, and I aint lost one fish do to leaching color from wood.
If it;s to big for your boiling pot, put it in a bucket, and fill ti with hot water, change this out a few times aday after it gets cold, do this for a week or so, you may even add salt to the water for this.
If you live where it gets hot during the day, lay it in the back of your truck or hang it up so the sun can beat on it all day.
Most of the wood I get leave it lay in the back of my truck for a month before i get around to using it, so it sits there gets warm in the day and washed off when it rains.
That is how I do it, and IMO I think cleaning wood is a little over rated.
I know allot of people frown on the way i do things, but they all say my tank looks nice when i show a picture.
Wood turning your tank color after you soak it or what ever only last for a couple water changes or so.

flynngriff · 03-09-2005, 12:38 PM

I had a problem with driftwood coloring my tank for nearly a year... Finally I got rid of it, and my tank cleared up.

I've tried some other pieces of driftwood, and not had that problem.

I'm sure it's based on the wood itself, and some might be a problem, some might not. Boiling it and soaking it won't hurt, and it might help.

I do have a question about boiling driftwood, though... How long is good to boil it? I've heard people say that the longer you boil it, the better it will sink, but are we talking about boiling it for 2 hours, or 2 days?

**Scuba Kid** · 03-09-2005, 01:02 PM

i use fake driftwood. lol

turtlehead · 03-09-2005, 03:44 PM

just depends on what type of driftwood you use, I use mayalsian driftwood, it turns the water into tea, but I'm Ok with that.

Mr Aquarium · 03-11-2005, 01:05 AM

When I boil Wood, "smaller stuff that is found IN the water" I let it boil for a while,
the pan I boil in is pretty big so it take a little time for it to get boiling even if filled with hot water.
But once it gets to boiling, I let it go for maybe a 1/2 and turn it iff and leave it set, it take quite some time to cool off, so it gets the wood plenty hot.
Then I leave it sit there a couple days drain it rinse it and fill back up with hot water and leave if set for how ever long it takes me to get around to messing with it.
sometimes I will even boil it a second time it there is allot of dirt and gunk in the water when i drain it the first time.

maxpayne_lhp · 03-11-2005, 06:53 AM

Use a brush to clean it thruly first, then rinse it in the water for several hours then start the boiling.

03-09-2005, 09:20 AM	#1
wackamole Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 56	How do you prepare Drift wood you pick up from around the lake I was wondering is there any special way to prepare drift wood you find around the lake for your fish tank?Mainly because i'm tired of paying almost 5 dollars a pound for some piece of drift wood i can get at the lake near my house.Do you have to boil it or something?

03-09-2005, 09:32 AM	#2
maxpayne_lhp Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: West Michigan Age: 20 Posts: 2,174	Most ppl boil them up! (the more you boil, the surer can they sink down) that also helps you get rid of unwanted organisms and bacteria. Remember to wash it thruly before boiling. Hoe that helps! Luck! __________________ ~Nam Nguyen~

03-09-2005, 10:28 AM	#3
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,360	Re: How do you prepare Drift wood you pick up from around the lake Boiling helps quite a bit, but not enough. After boiling, soak the wood in a bucket until it stops turning the water brown within two weeks. Change the water every two weeks. This will take a few months at least. Now you see why processed wood is so expensive? If you fail to do this, the wood will turn your tank into a tannic, toxic, teapot with alarming swiftness.

03-09-2005, 12:38 PM	#5
flynngriff Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 35 Posts: 443	Re: How do you prepare Drift wood you pick up from around the lake I had a problem with driftwood coloring my tank for nearly a year... Finally I got rid of it, and my tank cleared up. I've tried some other pieces of driftwood, and not had that problem. I'm sure it's based on the wood itself, and some might be a problem, some might not. Boiling it and soaking it won't hurt, and it might help. I do have a question about boiling driftwood, though... How long is good to boil it? I've heard people say that the longer you boil it, the better it will sink, but are we talking about boiling it for 2 hours, or 2 days?

03-09-2005, 01:02 PM	#6
Scuba Kid Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 18 Posts: 4,221	i use fake driftwood. lol __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

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03-09-2005, 03:44 PM	#7
turtlehead Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 203	just depends on what type of driftwood you use, I use mayalsian driftwood, it turns the water into tea, but I'm Ok with that. __________________ http://glassaqua.tk/ - finally got off my lazy rear and did something

03-11-2005, 01:05 AM	#8
Mr Aquarium Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Iowa Age: 43 Posts: 499	Re: How do you prepare Drift wood you pick up from around the lake When I boil Wood, "smaller stuff that is found IN the water" I let it boil for a while, the pan I boil in is pretty big so it take a little time for it to get boiling even if filled with hot water. But once it gets to boiling, I let it go for maybe a 1/2 and turn it iff and leave it set, it take quite some time to cool off, so it gets the wood plenty hot. Then I leave it sit there a couple days drain it rinse it and fill back up with hot water and leave if set for how ever long it takes me to get around to messing with it. sometimes I will even boil it a second time it there is allot of dirt and gunk in the water when i drain it the first time.

03-11-2005, 06:53 AM	#9
maxpayne_lhp Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: West Michigan Age: 20 Posts: 2,174	Use a brush to clean it thruly first, then rinse it in the water for several hours then start the boiling. __________________ ~Nam Nguyen~

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