Great Day driftwood collecting!

[fishorama]

Nice finds! I, too, can't wait to see your loaches zooming around!

 

[monicatetra]

Score!! I don't have anything like that around me.... Except an ace and there's nothin like a 2x4 to really bring out that natural tank look


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:rofl:

 

[monicatetra]

Yeah I'm usually pretty paranoid about what kind of wood I use, I couldn't resist the non-ID'd pieces because of their shape. Oak, and apple are my favorite because the shape of the trees is so distinct, you know what you're getting.

Should any fallen branches of Oak work work, if I soak it first ?

 

[bradlgt21]

Really the idea is you want to keep away from softer woods as they will break up quickly and stuff that is really sappy as you don't want that leaching into your water. Oak is a perfect choice, boil them first to kill any bacteria and you should be good to go. Over time the slate isn't needed as they sit in your tank for months they get so water logged they will settle to the bottom.

 

[loser]

Should any fallen branches of Oak work work, if I soak it first ?

Yes, any part of the oak tree will work.
Remove the bark first, and make sure it's not rotted/soft. Then sterilize it either by boiling (if it fits in a pot) or by soaking in a 1:20 bleach:water mix for a day then soaking it in water for a week, changing the water every other day, to get the bleach out.

Boiling is viewed as safer for the fish, it's also stinky. These pieces were too big for a pot so i had to go the bleach route (in a rubbermaid 25-gal bin, outdoors). I've done this before and never had bleach poisoning/gill issues, the chlorine in the bleach really wants to be a gas and escapes at the first chance. That's why bleach smells so bad.

 

[bradlgt21]

Using dechlorinator in the fresh water when trying to rinse free the bleach also helps. Dechlorinator is the same stuff we all put in our tanks during water changes. Just add a large amount of that into the water to help remove some of the chrlorine, not needed but can help be sure its all removed.