How to clean/prepare driftwood.

[YoungGuppy]

Went to the beach today and grabbed some.

How do I clean it?

 

[Cactuspixie]

Went to the beach today and grabbed some.

How do I clean it?

I scrub mine with a scrubbing brush (one I bout for aquarium maintenance) and scrape out crevices with a paring knife. Then, if it fits in a pot I boil it. How long depends on where I source it and how much tannin is in it (bogwood takes ages) but wood from the beach shouldn't have any tannin left. Then its a matter of weighing them down in a bucket with an air stone until they sink. I take mine out and give them another scrub if necessary. Once it is waterlogged I bang it about and make sure what looks like a good piece of wood isn't actually junk that's going to rot in my tank

 

[YoungGuppy]

I scrub mine with a scrubbing brush (one I bout for aquarium maintenance) and scrape out crevices with a paring knife. Then, if it fits in a pot I boil it. How long depends on where I source it and how much tannin is in it (bogwood takes ages) but wood from the beach shouldn't have any tannin left. Then its a matter of weighing them down in a bucket with an air stone until they sink. I take mine out and give them another scrub if necessary. Once it is waterlogged I bang it about and make sure what looks like a good piece of wood isn't actually junk that's going to rot in my tank

Okay thanks! I'm going to boil them now.
How long does it take to sink in a bucket? I heard a couple weeks ):
The pieces I'm using right now are pretty thin.

 

[Fishfur]

How long they take to sink depends on several factors. Species of the wood, how dry it is, how thick it is. Can take weeks, can take a day or two. You'll find out. A piece of the wood they often sell for terrariums took months and months to sink, and many water changes, as I was not sure it had not been treated with something. Looks nice now, but I would not get this kind of wood again.

I had a nice piece of grapevine that took two months before it would stay below the surface by itself, and longer still before it would stay on the bottom by itself. I had worked it over with a dremel tool, to sculpt it a bit, and some of the heartwood rotted out, but the remainder has been in a tank for a year and so far, mostly intact. A small piece broke off, but the rest is good.

If your woods are hard woods, most of those sink fairly fast. If not, it will take longer. You can put a bit of bleach in the bucket and do without an air stone if you wish. Bleach stops the water going nasty. It will also remove colour a bit. With beach wood that should not matter much, it's already pretty bleached out. Rinse well and use extra dechlorinator if you bleach the wood, when you go to use it.

 

[YoungGuppy]

How long they take to sink depends on several factors. Species of the wood, how dry it is, how thick it is. Can take weeks, can take a day or two. You'll find out. A piece of the wood they often sell for terrariums took months and months to sink, and many water changes, as I was not sure it had not been treated with something. Looks nice now, but I would not get this kind of wood again.

I had a nice piece of grapevine that took two months before it would stay below the surface by itself, and longer still before it would stay on the bottom by itself. I had worked it over with a dremel tool, to sculpt it a bit, and some of the heartwood rotted out, but the remainder has been in a tank for a year and so far, mostly intact. A small piece broke off, but the rest is good.

If your woods are hard woods, most of those sink fairly fast. If not, it will take longer. You can put a bit of bleach in the bucket and do without an air stone if you wish. Bleach stops the water going nasty. It will also remove colour a bit. With beach wood that should not matter much, it's already pretty bleached out. Rinse well and use extra dechlorinator if you bleach the wood, when you go to use it.

Thanks for the tips! I'm afraid to use bleach though.

 

[Fishfur]

Entirely your choice. I use it because I am used to it, and I understand how it works. It isn't quite as dangerous as some think but like all chemicals, it should be treated with respect.

You can get the same results without it, it just speeds things up a bit is all.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

I boil the DW, then rinse it thoroughly, let it soak for 3 days, rinse, then let it soak for three more days, boil again, rinse, and it should be good