I have been reading a lot about driftwood lately, I was walking with the dog on the beach today and I came across a piece that I really like and think it would look great in the tank. Besides boiling it to prepare it for the tank, is there anything else I should do and how do I take care of it through time?
Driftwood
- Thread starter Vitaliy
- Start date
I've never done this myself, but you can give it a try.
http://aquaticpredators.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12
http://aquaticpredators.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12
Then you have to follow the process Spartan posted link to, which seems to take forever. You have to soak the driftwood in bathtub for 12 hours with bleach, let it dry out, and do that again. I am more wondering about long term effects, wouldn’t the thing start to rot? How do you care of it after a few months?redbucket said:
Drtiftwood left in water isn't exposed to as much oxygen, so it's preserved by being underwater. Generally it will last a long time.
redbucket said:
Buy a rubbermaid tub, and pour in the hot water. If it's really that big, you're going to need to soak it for WEEEEEEKS to make sure it won't float. If it's a really nice piece of wood, and you like it, go for it.
Wow thats a great price. All my LFSs have very very expensive driftwood, along the lines of $15-$20 for a chunk the size of a couple large bananas.
I found a beautiful specimen on the north shore of L. Superior. It was almost 4ft. long so boiling it was out of the question. What I did was to:
a) Powerwash all loose and foreign crud off of it. This can be accomplished at your local DIY carwash if you can't get your hands on a powerwasher. Just don't use the soap or wax setting. Soap is a killer in aquariums and is very difficult to get rid of, expecially if trapped in the wood somehow.
b) Soak it in a 45 G drum filled with a heavy salt/water solution for about one month.
c) Rinse well and let dry overnight to release any chlorine.
Achieving a state of waterlog in your prize piece is another subject altogether and may require ingenuity and great patience. My piece just recently stopped floating after nearly 24 months!! Maybe I won't pick cedar next time
BTW Takashi Amano suggests using a smaller piece of driftwood than you think you need. I would tend to agree.
a) Powerwash all loose and foreign crud off of it. This can be accomplished at your local DIY carwash if you can't get your hands on a powerwasher. Just don't use the soap or wax setting. Soap is a killer in aquariums and is very difficult to get rid of, expecially if trapped in the wood somehow.
b) Soak it in a 45 G drum filled with a heavy salt/water solution for about one month.
c) Rinse well and let dry overnight to release any chlorine.
Achieving a state of waterlog in your prize piece is another subject altogether and may require ingenuity and great patience. My piece just recently stopped floating after nearly 24 months!! Maybe I won't pick cedar next time
BTW Takashi Amano suggests using a smaller piece of driftwood than you think you need. I would tend to agree.