Driftwood for Aquarium found outdoors?

[rileymc]

Hey all,

I just went to my local creek for find some driftwood for my 55 gallon aquarium. Do I boil it, and if so for how long? I want it to be safe for the fish and plants.

 

[extremebunny]

yeah, you can boil it, that should work. after you boil it let it soak in water so that it will sink and just to make sure that won't disintegrate. the amount you have to clean it depends on the water it was in. If the water was clean and moving then it is less likely to have anything bad on it.

 

[ReyK]

This is just what I've gathered, but I'm not a hundred percent sure on the instructions as I've never actually done it myself. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe you're supposed to boil every part for at least 1-2 hours then let it soak in water for about a week to waterlog it and let the rest of the tannins leach out. When the water becomes murky (filled with tannins from the wood), pour it out and replace the water and repeat until the log doesn't float and the water stays pretty much clean.