Hello, I am new to this forum and am very excited! I have a 29gal saltwater biocube and a 55gal tank that I am converting from saltwater to freshwater. I cleaned the tank very well and bought new filters and started it up. It is cycling right now with only my rocks at this point. I am deciding how to decorate now. I luv the live plants and driftwood displays that I have seen. My question is: can I go down to the creek or river and find some driftwood to use or is it best to purchase some from the LFS? I have never had a freshwater tank, I have always had saltwater so Im not very educated on the freshwater tanks. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
driftwood???
- Thread starter cajundolphin
- Start date
You can collect wood for use in the tanks, but there are some things you need to be aware of. I'm no expert, but these are the guidelines I follow:
1) Don't use anything that is lying on the ground. It's probably rotted and bug-infested. Wood that is off the ground and completely dried is best. (Where I live, there are lots of trees and old stone walls, so I just go tromping around until I find a branch that came down on a wall and so was held up off the ground while it dried.)
2) Use hardwoods. Softwoods will disintegrate much faster. Especially avoid pine; the sap makes a huge mess.
3) Boil the wood or, if it is too large, keep it in a big storage bin and pour boiling water over it. Weigh it down and soak it, re-boiling and changing the water every day, until it sinks and stops leeching tannins. Tannins are not harmful, they just tint the water brown (like tea). This can take weeks, and should be done with any wood, even if you get it at the LFS.
3) Put it in the tank and enjoy.
1) Don't use anything that is lying on the ground. It's probably rotted and bug-infested. Wood that is off the ground and completely dried is best. (Where I live, there are lots of trees and old stone walls, so I just go tromping around until I find a branch that came down on a wall and so was held up off the ground while it dried.)
2) Use hardwoods. Softwoods will disintegrate much faster. Especially avoid pine; the sap makes a huge mess.
3) Boil the wood or, if it is too large, keep it in a big storage bin and pour boiling water over it. Weigh it down and soak it, re-boiling and changing the water every day, until it sinks and stops leeching tannins. Tannins are not harmful, they just tint the water brown (like tea). This can take weeks, and should be done with any wood, even if you get it at the LFS.
3) Put it in the tank and enjoy.
What I used to do for my reptiles is feel the weight of the wood to make sure its not too light if its sitting on the ground. Tap it moderately and just make sure no little wood flakes or dust comes out. This probably means termites etc got into it.
Not much different otherwise than what you see above. The pet stores use the same type of process and you can save some serious money here.
Not much different otherwise than what you see above. The pet stores use the same type of process and you can save some serious money here.
simply put.. yes
if the wood has been submerged (sinks) it has probably been exposed long enough to get tannins , sap etc out.
you may still find some leaching occurring.
when you find a piece you like wash well , I use pressure washer.. this will dislodge loose debris , check the wood for softness as this may indicate rotting.. these are usually removed by the pressure washer.
many folks prefer hardwood but you'd have to have quite a bit of experience at identifying wood to determine which species you have found. as long as the wood is sound, clean you can probably use it.
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