Collecting Driftwood

[madmom]

I have been searching for the perfect piece of drftwood for awhile no with no luck. I live just a sneeze away from a manmade lake with small waterfall. I always see wood washed up after heavy rains and most of it is well worn. Would it be safe to use if I boiled and/or pressure cooked it?

 

[Tolak]

I've done it before with wood collected while on vacation. I just boiled it for an hour or so and let it cool & dry real good.

 

[MasterP]

Baking it in the oven helps to kill off all the bacteria and isn't very hard.

 

[guppymommy]

I've collected some wood from the wash that is close to my house. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is though so I'm hesitant to use it. How do I know it's safe?

 

[Griz]

I have quite a bit of driftwood in my 33 gal that I collected myself. I just boil it well, cool, and into the tank it goes. For pieces that are too big to fit into a pot, I just pour boiling water over it many, many times and turn it to try to expose all parts to the boiled water.

 

[madmom]

I know nearly zip about aquarium driftwood but I do know that hardwood must be used. Softwood such as pine will rot/break down very quickly and leave a mess. They also contain pine tar which is sticky though sometimes you can't see it. Press your fingernail into the wood to check and if it goes in it is probable a pine. There may be other ways to tell but I don't know what they are.