View Full Version : sanatize wild driftwood
isaac newton
04-07-2003, 1:10 AM
Any sugestions? I am going to the beach tommorow and am going to hunt for a nice piece of wood....
NJ Devils Fan
04-07-2003, 6:27 AM
Boiling it is probably the only thing you can really do.
I may be wrong on this but I wouldn't use beach driftwood in a fresh water tank. If it's been floating in sea water for a while it's really tough to get the salt residue out. You can boil and bleach to sanitize driftwood, but I'd be wary of using beach driftwood.
Len
I posted the same Q a number of months ago about a piece of freshwater driftwood and was told that short of soaking it in a solution of pertassium permanganate, soaking it in a 100% brine solution for a few weeks would be the best way to sterilize it. I was also concerned about the salt in my tank but was assured that if I hosed it down, then soaked it for one weed in fresh water that the amount of salt that came off would be minimal. Don't forget, we often add a small amount of salt to rid our tanks of certain diseases, etc.
I hope this is true as I am soaking a piece of driftwood in brine for my tank right now :)
My driftwood is usually too big to boil, so I take it out on the back porch and pour pot after pot of boiling water over it until it's all been scalded. Then I scrub with a brush to remove dirt 'n stuff from cracks, one more rinse and stick it in my tank. Not sterile, but pretty darn clean.