Heat Treated Driftwood...How to Prepare?

[ConnerFish]

You could put rocks on it while you are soaking it to keep it under water so it will become water logged faster. I usually put mine in and use rocks to hold it down as part of the decor. The driftwood eventually gets to the point where its stays down on its own. You could just do this part in the bucket so it sinks right away in your tank.

 

[constevens]

One of the nice things about boiling is it does kill any bacteria living in and on the wood. I have a HUGE pot I got cheap at a surplus store. Filled that bad boy with water and a piece of the wood. Still some was sticking out but that was ok. I boiled it for an hour. Dumped out the Ice tea water Then flipped the wood over and boiled the other end for an hour. It didnt eliminate all the tannins. But I wont have to worry about any bacteria or other pests getting into my tank that were in the wood. Now ive got 2 nice pieces in my 90 gallon tank im currently setting up. Looks nice with the PFS substrate. I can see the tannins are starting to leach. Now.. You can remove the tannins if you run Purigen in your filters. The water still gets the stuff it needs but it helps with the color. But for what your doing I wouldnt worry.

 

[pisces70]

All good ideas, thank you!