Driftwood

fancychance

fancychance

AC Members
Sep 9, 2007
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I currently have 3 large pieces of driftwood that I purchased here and there from LFS in my area. It's just soooo expensive it's ridiculous! I love the look and my fish absolutely love it too.....

I would like to add more, but without paying so much for it.. Has anyone ever went out and found driftwood to use in their aquariums? I know you can find it in the lake, but where at exactly? Lol... Is there any where else besides the lake I could find it at?

Would it even be safe if I were to find my own driftwood. How would I make it safe to put into my aquarium? Sooo many questions, I know!! I'm just curious as to where I can find it and the whole process. I don't mind getting my feet wet and looking dumb to fisherman trying to find driftwood as long as I'm saving atleast $35 bucks a pop! :raspberry:
 
You can deffinitly find it yourself, if you know where. Just scrub it really good with a wire brush and bleach/water mix before putting it in. It may leak tannins that turn the water brownish but won't harm the fish. Just use carbon to remove it or you can pre-cure it in a bucket first. My LFS sales a foot long piece for $60 but I just found an awesome 3 ft piece at a water garden store for $20! Its in my paludarium now.
 
If you scrub it with bleach, you HAVE to soak it in several changes of water and dechlorinator before putting it in your tank.

Better might be to just scrub it well and boil it for a while, or use hot salty water to scrub with (and rinse well).
 
Ya where I live we have 300 acres that has a creek and pond on it so I just go out and gather branches from trees that have been submerged for a couple months. I usually boil the pieces and change the water every 20 mins until the water is clear. Then I let it cool off and I drop it in my tank. Boiling removes tannins and makes it sink.
 
you know, there's a lot more to it than just finding it and cleaning it.

for one, you can not use certain woods, such as pine and other confiers and evergreens. they will poison your tank. You also must use wood that has dried and hardened sufficiently, otherwise it will not be good, and can rot.

do a search, there is a thread all about this.
 
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