Driftwood, what to do

[Chronos313]

So I got myself a medium sized piece of driftwood, I'm soaking it in hot water, I'd rather not boil it, what else should I do with it and how long should I let it soak for? I know some people like the color it adds. Also I'm gonna be getting some java moss and amazon frogbit so I'm hoping once I go to live plants my tank will POP. Is gravel or sand better for live plants?

 

[darkmatter_3500]

Put it in a Ice chest and pour boiling water over it until covered by water, let soak 1 day, drain and fill with room temp water it will be good by next day

 

[Monkey Magic]

Hi some people will soak it for months in water others will suggest putting it in the dishwasher (no soap of course) most people will suggest boiling it which is the best way to leech out the tannins which is that browny color but it also leeches out other things i didnt soak my driftwood for long enough and it caused my ph to crash so its out and back to soaking again in a big tub. Sand is better And you can get it cheaply from pool shops, if you had to get a gravel substrate the smaller the substrate and deeper the better im pretty new to all of this but from all the advice people have given me on this forum its usually spot on

 

[Fishandmusic81]

I've also wondered this I usually buy driftwood that's already in tanks but their kinda small I wanna use the large pieces meant for reptiles is it the same boiling procedure?

 

[Monkey Magic]

I think you just need to find out if its suitable for the aquarium because some woods leech oils which can kill your fish if you can find out what type of wood it is that wood be a good start theirs plenty of people here who can tell you if its bad or good

 

[Jill]

You can find mopani driftwood in the reptile section of petsmart and petco. It is aquarium safe but leeches tannins something fierce. Be prepared to boil for days or soak for weeks if you get mopani. It's really gorgeous wood though.

 

[Chronos313]

Ya this one is aquarium safe but I'm soaking it in hot water. It looks nice and dark when wet.

 

[Water]

Your ready to put it in the tank ad far as I see. The hot water helped the brown leach out of the wood. Some times it takes for ever so just put it in and do water changes as needed.
Do you have pics of the tank and wood?

 

[butterfly_koi]

As far as the gravel or sand, I have live plants in my tank and the roots didn't grow well in just gravel so I mixed aquarium sand in with my gravel and they have really taken off, not sure what others suggest but it worked in my tank

 

[Fishandmusic81]

You can find mopani driftwood in the reptile section of petsmart and petco. It is aquarium safe but leeches tannins something fierce. Be prepared to boil for days or soak for weeks if you get mopani. It's really gorgeous wood though.

Oh ok awesome

 

[Chronos313]

I just emptied the bucket and it's almost clear so I'll do a few more, rearrange my tank around and then take pics heh

 

[Fishandmusic81]

I just emptied the bucket and it's almost clear so I'll do a few more, rearrange my tank around and then take pics heh

Sweet looking forward to see how it looks

 

[Big.Jon]

Waiting for pics hope all goes well.

 

[Chronos313]

Should I scrub it?

 

[paytertot]

Why do you not want to boil it? That's the best way to go about it imo

 

[Chronos313]

Because my wife would kill me if I used her pots lol

 

[paytertot]

Ah I see. What if you just put it in the sink and poured boiling water over it, would she still kill you? Lol

 

[Chronos313]

Okay so the driftwood is now in the tank. I'm gonna try and take some pictures tomorrow of the tank. I've moved a bunch if stuff around. My snails love it and I think it looks cool. I wish I had a really gnarled piece but one can dream lol. On a side note the two platy fry I have are growing and i believe they are twin bars but as of now no color and really tiny.

 

[Chronos313]

link to pictures.

sorry for having to post a link, i tried posting direct links but i kept being told the file was too big

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/chrono313/SAM_1543.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/chrono313/SAM_1541.jpg

 

[Lifeoffroad]

So I got myself a medium sized piece of driftwood, I'm soaking it in hot water, I'd rather not boil it, what else should I do with it and how long should I let it soak for? I know some people like the color it adds. Also I'm gonna be getting some java moss and amazon frogbit so I'm hoping once I go to live plants my tank will POP. Is gravel or sand better for live plants?

I soaked mine in hot water from the sink fir one day kept the water hot and it never ran colors in my tank. However, I do think some snails came in on it so a boil might not be bad.