Driftwood

[tempest]

So over the past couple months i have been trolling the local area beaches (got allot of them around here) and i have a good size collection of driftwood im sorting though to add a few nice pieces to my tank..But i dont really know what the best method of curing the wood is..

Ive read a few heres what i got so far let me know if you have a better way or witch u think is the best.

1. Boil the piece for 1 hour up to 8 hours changing the water ever so often (to kill everything) then leave in a container changing the water frequently till the piece has sunken to the bottom an become water logged..(witch i think might be a bit hard since some or the logs i have found are almost 3 feet )

2. Leave in a bleach/water solution changing the solutions everyday for a week or two...then leave in a container with just water changing frequently to clean bleach and water log the piece

3. scrub with wire brush and lots of hot water and soak

now i also have read that fresh drift wood has allot of tannins in it and soaking it is a good idea before adding it to your tank so u dont stain the water..cuz i really dont want a yellow fish tank would ne one know anything about this also..as i cant find much info just the basic stuff.

[Gerry]

I have wood in tank from beach collection and never had tannin issues, think being in the sea leached it out.

I just cleaned it with hot water

[callen]

Agree just soaking it will do the trick.

[kyle313]

agreed. id do hot water just to be safe. mine took 2 to 3 weeks to sink and probably 3 months for the water to clear but im assuming those were fresh pieces though. this post also brings to mind the house im buying has drift wood as yard decor nice big pieces (about 3 and 4 feet long) that would look awesome in my new tank. the only thing is they have been out there so long that they are weathered (wisconsin weathered) and sun bleached. would these still be safe for the tank? or are they to fare gone. i dont believe they they rot or anything but im not sure.

[tempest]

Thank you...i think im going to wash them and leave them a buckets to leach for a good long while...i dont want to have a funny colored tank in my living room lol..As for the sun i can take a look around on the internet and see what i find...i know few good aquarium sites..But this is by far the best for the specific area and the people are very knowledgeable and helpful...

[callen]

Thanks for the kind words

leave them a buckets to leach for a good long while...

May not take to long and changing the water every few days will help.