[James From Cali]

I found this piece of driftwood(or so my friend claimed it was) and I am nervous about using it. I cleaned it the best I can and it has this rugged look to it that I am worried about my fish. Here are pics:

Would it be safe in my home aqauria???

 

[Jdinh04]

Where did you find it? have you tried boiling it?

 

[James From Cali]

We found in/by a near by river. It was like right at the edge of the water. I dont have anything to boil it in, we have one big ot but that is our macaroni pot! Any other suggestions.

 

[AnneRiceBowl]

You can try to get a pot at the thrift store and use that.

 

[LGHT]

Why don't you just go on ebay and buy a piece instead of taking the risk? I got a huge amount of wood most for less than $10 a piece.

 

[epicfish]

Boil a bunch of water, and then pour it over the driftwood in another container. If it floats, soak it until it waterlogs and sinks...soaking it will help release tannins too.

You can also check the water chemistry before and after a long soak to see if it changes anything. If not, you can try to use it.

 

[James From Cali]

Why don't you just go on ebay and buy a piece instead of taking the risk? I got a huge amount of wood most for less than $10 a piece.

I been and I am waiting on someone to email me back with more payment info.

 

[Jdinh04]

Well if you are already then I would wait until you make sure that you get wood from the person that you are buying it from. I have a friend that collects wood, and uses them in his tanks with no problem.

If you are concerned, either try and boil the wood and use it in your tank. Otherwise try to purchase some or ask your parents if they could get you some wood. Theres a bunch of petstores in the Sacramento area, maybe someone from that area could give you some?

 

[Hoppy]

Capitol Aquarium has a good selection of wood for aquariums. But, of course they do want to be paid for it. I have used the technique epicfish recommended - just pour lots of boiling water on it several times, letting it soak until the water cools off. My impression from reading at these forums for many months is that very rarely is a piece of wood harmful to the plants or fish once it is cleaned good. Most often the only problems are tannins discoloring the water or fungus starting to grow on the wood. So you aren't at much risk if you try it in your tank.

 

[spypet]

James, a good way to determine if this wood is tank safe is to take a bucket of water you removed from you tank after a water change, and immerse some of this wood in it. If it floats too much, use a barbell weight on top to push it down in the bucket. Leave it in there undisturbed for a whole week. If a white slimy hairy mold forms on the immersed section of the wood, then do not use it in your freshwater aquarium. it may still be useful in a dry reptile tank.

 

[Robert H]

Boiling it will kill any fungus, pathogens, insects and parasites. Got a dishwasher or a laundry washing machine? You can run it thru either of those without any soap. The water in these units should be plenty hot, above the boiling point, and the water and any nasties in it are drained away

 

[James From Cali]

Boiling it will kill any fungus, pathogens, insects and parasites. Got a dishwasher or a laundry washing machine? You can run it thru either of those without any soap. The water in these units should be plenty hot, above the boiling point, and the water and any nasties in it are drained away

Okay I will try that!

James, a good way to determine if this wood is tank safe is to take a bucket of water you removed from you tank after a water change, and immerse some of this wood in it. If it floats too much, use a barbell weight on top to push it down in the bucket. Leave it in there undisturbed for a whole week. If a white slimy hairy mold forms on the immersed section of the wood, then do not use it in your freshwater aquarium. it may still be useful in a dry reptile tank.

I will definitely try that!

 

[NanoDan]

I like that idea!! James where did you find your wood at? I live in Sacramento and have been looking for a place to collect driftwood.