driftwood problem

DeeSeven

DeeSeven

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Feb 4, 2007
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i recently picked up a nice big piece of driftwood for my tank it comes bolted down to a slab of slate anyways the guy told me to let it soak in water for 6-7 days so the wood absorbs the water and it wont float to the top..and i've been letting it soak for almost 9 days now and it still floats like it did the first day i got it..has anyone had this problem or should i go back and ask for a refund cause personally i think he sold me reptile wood which floats i've never heard of soaking driftwood but then again ive had my tank for 4 months :)
 
How long a piece floats depends on the type of wood. Some will sink almost immediately, while others might take a month or more. Any idea what type of wood it is? Maybe a closeup pic of it?

Folks here are great at IDing just about anything that has to do with an aquarium. Finding out what type it is would be a major step in getting an answer to your question.
 
Since it's already attached to some slate, go ahead and use it as soon as it quits turning the water you soak it in brown.

Just clear out an area of your substrate, put the slate on the bottom ot the tank, cover w/ substrate. It should stay down.
 
driftwood is a term used to describe..well..drift wood. meaning wood that has been exposed to water.

that said..different woods soak up water at different rates and wood also varies in density.

some wood will sink with a short soak..others may sink immediately.

some may take years to get enough water in them to sink.
 
If you think it is wood that is meant for a reptile situation and he sold it to you under the pretense of it being for an aquarium, I would ask for a refund. Especially if it is giving you problems. I would be worried that since it is meant for reptiles it might have something on it that it was treated for that is safe for reptiles but not necessarily appropriate for an aquarium setting where the wood is fully submerged.

Marinemom
 
thanks for the responses guys I'm gonna snap a pic of it tomorrow and post it up here
 
Like MM said, if you feel you have issues, try to return it. Though I have a piece or two that still lift after 7 months in the tank.
 
If you decide to keep it and its possible depending on the size of the piece, try soaking it in water as hot as you can safely get it and then dunking it into cold ice water while it is still hot. The hot water will cause the pores in the wood to open up and then the cold water should force out more of the trapped air pockets inside. Might speed up the process some, hope that helps.

:read:
 
star_rider said:
driftwood is a term used to describe..well..drift wood.
Click to expand...

And the term is used to decribe wood intended to be used in a reptile cage by at least one manufacturer. My one and only trip to petsmart is where I saw this stuff on a shelf directly opposite the fish tanks. Looks really cool but it's that grapevine stuff. How they get away with calling it driftwood is a mystery to me.

DeeSeven... is this what you have?

It's called Mac's grapewood driftwood. It's listed in the reptile section of Petsmart.

Q
 
My driftwood sunk straight away

I then boiled it for hours changing the water 5 times.
then tested it in a bucket for 5 days to check if it was still seeping colour and it wasn't, so in it went and it looks great.

Hardwood is the key
 
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