Turtle.Keith
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2017
- Messages
- 46
How do I clean driftwood I find in the ocean?
Personally, I wouldn't use it in a freshwater tank. I can't see it being easy to get out all the salt that has soaked into it. I would be afraid it would cause issues. But maybe someone else has had experience with it.
I would not boil it personally because I am concerned it could have something on it which could be toxic. As in Paly toxin, or some unknown wierd thing.
I would scrub well with a dollarstore brush with tap water, and let bake in the hot sun under a loosely laid black plastic outside. Turning every few days untill it has been baking for a couple weeks, then remove plastic and start soaking in a tote with some rocks on top to submerge. Watch for any iridescent oil slick on water just in case where it could have been floating. For a week.
Scrub it again and throw it back, this time with Prime to detox the water at 7x strength. Soak for a couple weeks. Changing the water and using Prime each time every few days and sooner if the water is darkening. Then I might test it with a fish in an aerated treated bucket of water to see if it lives a few days. Good to go.
Yes, but some are better than others. Ones that look like granite would likely be best. As some with a carbonate base material like coral can raise your hardness.
Some people say that if you can add some drops of vinegar to the stone and it fizzles and foams it will likely leach into your system and add hardness. Some people for the fish want that some don't.
What are the benefits of hardness? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions