DIY Driftwood

[43Gallons]

I'm not entirely sure if this thread belongs here, but I would like to put a piece of driftwood in my tank. I don't really want to buy the wood, persay. I want to find my own. Where and how should I do this? I know to boil the wood for a long time, changing the water out, but what about which woods are okay and not okay and so on?

 

[jcolon]

I've been thinking the same thing and I will be researching for trees in my area higher wood density. Boiling and then soaking them will help to water log but it may take a long time for the wood to naturally sink, be prepared to tie or anchor it down to a rock. If you know of any branches, twigs etc that fell recently, I'd go with those, they'll have smaller amounts of contaminants from laying on the ground.

Maybe another member who's been down this road can give us specific trees to look for.

 

[43Gallons]

Yes! That would be good. Keep me updated on your research and I'll tell you if I find anything.

 

[jcolon]

Yes! That would be good. Keep me updated on your research and I'll tell you if I find anything.

Will do ... of course as your in the east coast ... chances are we have mostly same trees.

 

[Attiland]

I have done it. First of all you have to use completely dry wood. Remove all the skin and put it in a bucket/ old unused tank add some rock on the top to keep the wood under the water and fill it up with hot water. Hot water will speed up the process. Change the water 1-2 times a day. Use hot water. You will see after a few day it starts to sink more and more. Once it sinks you don’t have to use hot water anymore, just keep it under water.
It is safe for your aquarium when it sinks and no mold grows on it and it has no slimy coat on it. If so clean it and keep it under water. Some wood are colouring the water. It isn’t a problem; with frequent water change it can be solved. Over the time it will stop doing it.

The best is any kind of wattle, oak, aspen/poplar, grapevine, rose

Don’t use any kind of walnut, pinewood.

Good luck

 

[fort384]

Moved to Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussion

 

[jetajockey]

I'd just pick a hardwood, look for something that's totally dead. soak it really well, scrub it or sand it to knock off any bark, let it dry in the sun for a few weeks. Give it another good rinse and you are good to go. I've used things like oak and cypress, I don't know too much about other wood types so I can't say for sure but I wouldn't use something that is really sappy, like pine (or cedar maybe? idk)

 

[dskidmore]

I've been thinking about doing this for awhile, but I'm still looking for the right piece. I'd like a large tangled root mass for a 75 gallon centerpiece. Something that will actually fill the vertical space in the tank without being mounted to slate. I think the only reasonable way to do this is to cure one myself.

My last batch of purchased driftwood I cured in a large trash can with salt water. Alternating salt and fresh water will draw out the tannins faster than fresh alone.

 

[jetajockey]

With the DW that i've used, the actual driftwood, the kind that is found in the water, is pretty much tannin free, I'm assuming since it's been soaking for ages. People are paranoid about hitchhikers, diseases, parasites, etc when getting real driftwood pieces but I think if you cure it really well it minimizes the risk greatly.

 

[dskidmore]

That's the other thing salt is good for. Most bacteria and parasites don't like sudden changes in salt.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

So if u buy it from a lfs how long should u soak the wood if it already is sinking?

 

[dskidmore]

So if u buy it from a lfs how long should u soak the wood if it already is sinking?

Until it stops turning the water brown.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

Wat plants can u attach to the driftwood?

 

[rain87]

Wat plants can u attach to the driftwood?

Java fern, anubias, java moss, christmas moss, basically anything with a rhizome

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

How do you attach it to the wood

 

[rain87]

I use fishing line but some people use string too I think.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

So then it just wraps around the wood??

 

[lmccluer]

I went out to my local lake and found several pieces on the shoreline. Brought them home, washed them off, chose the one i liked best in my 55 and put it in. I had to put a rock at each end and it looks awesome. Didn't turn my water brown or anything. All my fish nibble on it all the time. I haven't figured out yet how to put pics on here via iPhone or I would publish pics. I'm pretty proud of it!

 

[rain87]

It will take some time but the roots will attach yes

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

Can't wait to try it