Driftwood and other wood....

[Bender]

Ok so i have a 55g going through its cycle right now, but only gravel in it....i have been wanting to do a "natural" looking scene and decided i want "drift wood". well that stuff is way to expensive....so i thought why not go try the river near my house.... and along its banks and in it i found some cool pieces and one amazing stump. the stump had some rot on it, but i chipped it all off.....

my questions:

What makes driftwood "driftwood"?

Can any wood be used?

How to make it sink?

What to clean with?

How clean does it need to be?

 

[joy13]

Not all driftwood can be used, pine is one thing that shouldn't be used. To make it sink it needs to be soaked sometimes for weeks with water changes. To clean it scrub it will a brush to knock off the loose stuff then boil it. Boiling it kills all the little bugs that might be in it, takes out tannins and helps it sink. Make sure there is no bark on the wood.

 

[Bender]

Hard to boil.....tad bit bigger then any pot i own.....can i boil water and pour it over the wood a few times? Then fil a trash can with water and let it soak by placing rocks on top to make it sink?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Regardless of the type of wood you use, one of the things to be aware of is that it is going to decompose in the water over time and have an effect on your water quality. Generally speaking, the decomposing wood will make your water more acidic (but overall effect will vary dependent on wood type). While this may be no big deal with some fish, with others such as Mbuna (African Cichlids), especially if you want them to breed, it can be a huge deal. Just something for you to consider.

 

[joy13]

Hard to boil.....tad bit bigger then any pot i own.....can i boil water and pour it over the wood a few times? Then fil a trash can with water and let it soak by placing rocks on top to make it sink?

You can pour boiling water over it but be very careful. My friend used a turkey fryer to boil his in. Weighting it down does sometimes help as does zip tying it to a rock.