Driftwood Prep??

DeRo316

DeRo316

Keeper of Cichlids
Nov 23, 2005
709
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Tallahassee, FL.
Im in the process of setting up my 55g, I found a really cool piece of wood on a local plantation that I would love to use in my tank and it fits perfectly.
Is there any prep I have to do to the wood before putting it in the tank? I heard to soak it for a couple weeks first.....its soaking now. Is there anything else I have to do before I put it in the tank? Also, the peice looks like it may have been burned a bit on the back-side. Will this have any effect on the water? I sanded as much of the black/charred wood off but its still a little black. Any suggestions will help, thanks in advance.
 
I'm not sure about what effects burnt wood would have, but to be sure try to cut or chisle it out. After soaking it make sure you boil it for a couple of hours before you put it in your tank. You could probably get away without soaking it if you boil it good, but whatever you do make sure you boil it no matter what.
 
I dont know if boiling it is going to be an option....its soaking in a garbage can right now. Its almost 3 feet long and about a foot tall, its going to be the centerpiece in my aquarium. I dont know what else I could do.
 
repeatedly pour boiling water over the entire piece then, you can do this in the trash can or in you bath tub. If you do it in your tub, you could also turn up you'r water heater and put the shower on hot and wash it like that. You need to kill anything that could be on it that might harm your water or fish.
 
chance are its going to float. i had a piece once that maintained bouyancy for over a year. soaking it will help, but if varies so much from piece to piece.

if it floats, get some fishing line and anchor it to some rock.... the fishline is not overly visible and can be cleverly hidden. some of the green tint line is nearly invisible in water, but clear is always my first choice (in aquaria and with bass).

texas-rig the rock if you can. ehehe.
 
Interesting anecdote I read on another site and I thought I'd share it since your driftwood is pretty big. I don't how you planned on situating it in the tank et all, but it's a good story with a great lesson, nonetheless --

Guy found a really cool piece of driftwood and soaked it for a while, and boiled it too. JUST fit his tank perfectly lengthwise. Had to tie it though cause it still floated.

So he put it in the tank and filled it with water.

Couple of weeks later he was sitting in the other room and he heard a very loud CRACK. Took him hours to get all the water off the floor, shore up the sides of his tank and rescue his fish.

The wood had swelled up and cracked his tank. Hey, it didn't float anymore!


Above story is apparently true, however I'm going by memory. Gist is the same, and the event is extremely possible: be careful with large driftwood placement. Make sure you leave enough room for swelling. Never wedge it in or you may have a mess.

Roan
 
Agreed with roan! wood does expand when wet, so make sure you have plenty of room all around it. Soaking it helps to get rid of the tannins as well as get it to sink. Boiling not only kills unwanted hitchhikers but it does the same thing as soaking as well if not a little faster.
 
wow, roan, powerful visualization... CRACK...who woulda thunk it?

almost aquarian myth status
 
indiginess said:
wow, roan, powerful visualization... CRACK...who woulda thunk it?

almost aquarian myth status
Click to expand...
Well, I would have thought yes, a myth, but it was a first-hand account and not one of those, "a friend of a friend of an uncle of his sister's" thingies. Also, when you think of it, yah, it could happen. It would depend on several factors: type of wood, how dry it was when put in the tank, "swellability" :), if there is such a thing :)

Lemme see if I can find the site where I read it.

Roan
 
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