Driftwood hunting

[abrahamavelar]

Today I went driftwood hunting and I got this 2 I like the big one better but my little sister who was helping me likes the otherone so im soaking them right now

 

[Uncle Dirty]

I got 5 pieces from a friend today. Boiled them for awhile and still soaking them. Do I soak them until no more brown water?

 

[abrahamavelar]

yes you should unless u want ur main tank tained, i have a few questions my self this is my first time doing driftwood

 

[adadkins1]

Nice DW, looking forward to pics when you get them in the tank!

 

[CleverBs]

Driftwood hunting is a good time, I bring back a few good peices every year from Canada.

I soak mine for about a week to 2 weeks by then they should be fairly water logged (depends on the wood, mine take much much longer to get water logged but I just use deck srews to drill them to slate and this keeps them down) I change the water about 3 times during the week and that normaly makes it so theres no "black water". If anyone has any questions PM me I have treated lots of driftwood and done LOADS of research on the process. Check out my link to see mine in my main tank.

 

[Deckape]

Real cool. I like finding driftwood also. It is no biggie if you get tannins in the tank. That's what PWCs or carbon is for it bothers you

 

[abrahamavelar]

thanks ill keep you guys posted, i dont think i have any big enough pots but ill check now i heard that i need to put salt in the water right??? my question is is it fresh water aquarium salt, table salt or can i use the salt that i had for my reef tank??? also i know im gonna use the dish washe to get them clean but should i doit before or after the boiling

 

[Deckape]

I don't use salt at all. I suppose you could boil or dishwash either way. But if my wife didn't catch me, then I would dishwash then boil.

 

[abrahamavelar]

Ohhh ok ill probably do wash boil n wash again just incase, and will that help get the taint things out

 

[CleverBs]

the point of salt is to use it when soaking the wood because it will allow it to water log quicker, Stick it in the dishwasher if you can if you cant and I had a peice that I couldnt do that with I just boiled water and poored it onto the wood in the tub and it worked just fine, you just want to insure that everything is killed and well if its all you can do it will work iv done it before. I just have a cheep rubber bin from wallmart and I soak my DW in that (looks like this is what you are doing).

 

[abrahamavelar]

Oh ok so technically that should doit, and wat about the tanning
How can I prevent it to tan my aquarium

 

[CleverBs]

After you boil it, put it in a tub of water with a rock or something heavy on top of it to make it sink and be fully submerged, after you do that add a bunch of salt. change the water the next day and replace it with new, then again in 3 days, and then wait 2 days and refill the bucket and see if the water turns dark, it should be clear by now if not repeat every day, Iv had very large peices take 10 days but thats the most. If you want it to sink in your aquarium without anything weight it down you will need to let it soak for 2-3 weeks till it can sink on its own. adding salt after each water change will make this process quicker.

 

[abrahamavelar]

oh ok cool thanks im sure going to try that, how long should i boil it for

 

[CleverBs]

oh ok cool thanks im sure going to try that, how long should i boil it for

if its a softwood like an hour at most, if its a hardwood like 30mins, really like i said in theory it just needs to be hit with boiling water and all that will die from boiling water will instintly. but on the safe side if you CAN boil it do so for a longer the time i stated. some say to boil for 3+ hours but I think that its not really needed.

 

[abrahamavelar]

ohhhh ok im going to try to boil it, im not sure wat kind of wood i have i know i grabbed it from the bike trail that has a river and canal there i knw it want pine cuz there werent any pines there n i might sound dumb but being a city boy i do not know names of trees by just looking at them except a few kinds which its cause they r obvious

 

[CleverBs]

ohhhh ok im going to try to boil it, im not sure wat kind of wood i have i know i grabbed it from the bike trail that has a river and canal there i knw it want pine cuz there werent any pines there n i might sound dumb but being a city boy i do not know names of trees by just looking at them except a few kinds which its cause they r obvious

well dont get me wrong i have no idea what type of wood a peice of driftwood is, but some wood is much softer then other wood, like the kind I have is mostly a softwood because its not rock hard, you dont need to know the type of tree to know for sure, just use your judgment based on how soft the wood is how long you should boil it, the harder the softer the wood the longer you need to boil it but it will take less time to sink when soaking it.

 

[abrahamavelar]

ohh ok thanks cuz i really have no clue what kind is it and i know both are different kinds of trees i found them in a different part of the trail also this might soinf stupid but i want some of it to be attach some plant(s) to it and i decide to put it towrds the front of the tank where it will get some light but not direct light will that work and what kind can i put there n how do i get it to stay in the wood

 

[CleverBs]

Well you can place it where ever just use the fishing line to attach the plants to the wood.

 

[abrahamavelar]

Oh ok thx =) =)