Can I use this as decor?

[Indigo]

You can soak it in a big tub of water and bleach. Probably a cup to 5 gallons. Soak it for hours or days, until when you rinse it the water runs clear. Finally soak it in water mixed with dechlorinator (as you use for water changes). Keep rinsing in fresh water. It might not sink, so you can use stainless steel nails, hammer on a tupperware top, and just bury the whole top under the substrate. If it still doesn't sink, you can use aquarium safe epoxy, paint it on the tupperware top, and cover it with some of your aquarium substrate. The additional weight of the glue and substrate should keep it down. It will match perfectly, and hopefully stop floating.
With the rocks, just scrub them with a mild bleach solution and soak them in dechlorinator and water.

Guy at the LFS told me how to sink driftwood using epoxy and tupperware. A good use for those old tupperware tops, that have long lost the containers!!

What an awesome idea!! I slightly modified the idea, using a metal baking sheet that I picked up at the dollar store. Its a crappy nonstick version so it should be safe in my tank. Pilfered a couple nails from the company bin (there's thousands, they won't miss 3). Total cost of weighing down an annoyingly floaty piece of wood = $1 plus tax. Thanks Swimfins

 

[ryknier]

and how much bleach should I use for the tub?

 

[ryknier]

Metal

It might not sink, so you can use stainless steel nails, hammer on a tupperware top, and just bury the whole top under the substrate. If it still doesn't sink, you can use aquarium safe epoxy, paint it on the tupperware top, and cover it with some of your aquarium substrate.

I put a post on before about copper in water to prevent algae growth, you mentioned putting nails or a hammer, is it just copper you can't put in or is it all metals?

Does it have to be stainless steel, could it be drywall, I dont think they would oxidize!? Ahh I will only get a few from ACE. Thanks for the info Swimfins!

 

[Debra Mark]

We have a 5' tree stump, a 12' log, and many large rocks/slate in our tank - they were all too big to boil - we just hosed everything down real well. If you get some discoloration from the wood, we found that using carbon will clear up the water in no time.

 

[BK]

bleach is a risk that often need not be taken. the remainder of degradable materials left in the wood and the type of wood are of much more importance imo them disinfecting the wood. if the wood is to "fresh" it will be cause a significant rise in waste and if the wrong type of wood the sap/resin can negativly impact fish.

 

[ryknier]

So the log was soaking in a solution of bleach, and it turned out to be really cool, and it is now soaking in the decholinating solution, should I keep it in there as long as it was in the bleach, I think I am going to keep it in overnight

 

[Swimfins]

Oh absolutely. The wood must definately be dry, no resins or sap oozing.

A cup of bleach per 5 gallons works well.

I like the bleach because otherwise the wood might fungus in the tank, which will probably happen anyhow in time, but disinfecting well can keep this in check for a long while. This from an old aquarist, whom I trust. The way to sink the wood is his idea also.

 

[ryknier]

Here it is!!

Well here it is, still some adjustments! How long will the water stay cloudy, there is a fresh bag of carbon in there...... so.....

What do you guys think?

Swimfins, the cover thing was a great idea!!!! Still really boyant though, as you can see where the rocks are sitting!

Bigger than I expected in the tank, It filled up real quick!

 

[Kabong]

Can you do the same for ocean driftwood or whould you never be able to get the salt out of ocean driftwood?

 

[Swimfins]

Wow your tank looks great! About the nails, stainless is safest. I don't know about the others, I'd go with stainless though. A few extra cents is worth it.

Use the carbon and run run run the filter!!!


I don't know if ocean wood could ever lose the salt, I don't think I'd try it in fresh water, but maybe in a brackish tank it could work. Good question.