Driftwood

[vitacrux]

What's the proper procedure for adding driftwood to my tank? Boil it and let it soak?

 

[jcolon]

Yes and yes. The boiling is to disinfect and help leach out tannins. Same as soaking ... get rid of as much tannins as you can so your tank water doesn't turn a tea color ... though even still DW can leach out some tannins for months.

Some members give DW a couple of runs through a diswasher .. minus the dishes of course. Soaking will usually require a bucket and a week or two of patience, especially if the DW still floats. Then you may need to tie it down to a rock.

 

[HalfMoon B]

Some members give DW a couple of runs through a diswasher .. minus the dishes of course. Soaking will usually require a bucket and a week or two of patience, especially if the DW still floats. Then you may need to tie it down to a rock.

I did thhe DW method, easy, carefree, and helps with water logging to make the wood sink. I gave mine 2 or 3 cleaning cycles, (can't remember...)

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Ok, so I'm reading this because I will soon be adding dw to my tank and question...is it okay if you leave it in a bucket for a week in hot water, changing the water every day?

 

[HalfMoon B]

Swap out water completely every so often, and when the water is pretty clear, you should be good to go for aquarium usage. Tannins aren't harmful per se, like nitrates. Just keep it low, and as clear as possible. Unless you are doing a backwater tank...

 

[jcolon]

Ok, so I'm reading this because I will soon be adding dw to my tank and question...is it okay if you leave it in a bucket for a week in hot water, changing the water every day?

Sure ... It's been done before with no problems. Changing the water every day will sure help leach out the tannins. If after the last day you still find the water's still tea colored (which it probably will) you could go another week.
The tannins are harmless to fish, just gives you tea colored water and will slightly lower your pH. If your pH is already low like 6.4 it could make it lower, however pH in the 7.4 range or higher shouldn't be too much of a concern. Once the DW's done leaching, PWC's and a good filter will help clear out the color.

 

[dskidmore]

Also minus the dish soap...

If you don't have a pot big enough to boil the wood, a strong saltwater brine can also do the trick. To leach out tannins faster, alternate freshwater and saltwater soaks. You can tell when you're done because the water stops turning brown.

 

[vitacrux]

If I do the dishwasher should I run once empty before drift wood to rinse out any soap residue?

 

[Deep Seven]

If I do the dishwasher should I run once empty before drift wood to rinse out any soap residue?

I probably would if I was you.

 

[jcolon]

If I do the dishwasher should I run once empty before drift wood to rinse out any soap residue?

A good idea!

 

[vitacrux]

This may be a stupid question but my dishwasher has the heatlamp dry at the end of the cycle, I'll want to skip that step right? Seems like it would be self defeating.

 

[dskidmore]

Yeah, as long as the water was hot enough to sterilize...