Is my driftwood ready?

[D-Town]

ive soaked it for about 40 hours. anything else i need to do?

 

[chris127]

did you boil it? boiling it will remove all bacteria and unwanted organisms. boil it for an hour and if the water turns yellow you should either boil it more or soak it longer. boiling speeds up the process ALOT. i cured my driftwood in 6 hours by boiling it.

 

[rich311k]

Did you boil it or disinfect it in any way? Where did you get it? If from the store go ahead and put it in, otherwise you may want to boil it.

 

[D-Town]

Ive just soaked it. i planned on soaking it till it no longer stains the water yellow

 

[D-Town]

Actually i got it from my great grandmother, she used it with a craft peice

 

[rich311k]

I would boil it.

 

[D-Town]

alrighty, thanx alot rich, chris appreciate it

 

[Jennifereva]

This will sound really silly but excuse me im just a beginner - can you collect driftwood from the beach and boil it and add it to your tank?

 

[white-worms]

This will sound really silly but excuse me im just a beginner - can you collect driftwood from the beach and boil it and add it to your tank?

Yes, as pointed out above though. Make sure you boil it.

 

[rich311k]

May still need to soak it to get it float and to get the salt out of it. Just soak it and change the water every few days for a few weeks.

 

[Jennifereva]

ok

 

[new2betas]

I boiled my piece of wood for about 4 hours and then soaked it a good 2-2 1/2 weeks. It was still clouding the water slightly yellow. I put it in my tank and my water does have a very slight yellow/brown color, but I like it....it looks natural to me.

 

[Stephen]

I boiled my piece of wood for about 4 hours and then soaked it a good 2-2 1/2 weeks. It was still clouding the water slightly yellow. I put it in my tank and my water does have a very slight yellow/brown color, but I like it....it looks natural to me.

Looks aside, the discoloration would be good or bad depending on what fish you have in your tank.

If it's a betta or some other fish from South America, the tannins that are causing your water to discolor should be welcoming, as it may be making your water a bit more acidic.

If the fish you're housing in the tank prefer hard water, then I suggest you get rid of the driftwood and go for some rocks instead.