madmom
Fishaholic
I searched for a while to find info on how to do DIY driftwood with advise from the generous folks here when I decided to make my own. This is the basics most sources agreed on. Though others included using bleach, salt and other things. I thought I'd share what I found. Feel free to correct anything or add something I may have gotten wrong or left out.
Driftwood can be found in many places such as lakes, rivers, streams and even in the woods.
There are some places where collecting driftwood is illegal. Check with the local ranger or wildlife people before collecting any driftwood.
Avoid softwoods such as ash, pine, or cedar which may release pitch and toxins into your tank. So can eucalyptus. These woods also rot more quickly than hardwoods (i.e. oak, maple, elm and hickory ). A quick test is to press the edge of your fingernail into the wood. If it goes in easily you probably have softwood. Never take wood directly from trees.
Avoid wood that is obviously rotting or have green spots on them. These spots could be copper which can be harmful to your fish. Also make sure you are collecting wood from areas that aren’t polluted as once it’s in the wood it’s nearly impossible to get it out. Also if you found your piece in the woods make sure no spraying was done. Some areas still spray for Gypsy moths and other things.
Curing your own driftwood can be very time consuming and involve some creative measures if the piece is large.
Okay, you’ve found the perfect piece or pieces and brought them home. The first thing you need to do is to remove any loose bits and bark from your find. Use a stiff or wire brush to do this. I’ve read about some people using a power washer to do this. Use whatever works for you. If there are any soft areas in the wood remove them. I’ve used a Drimel with a sanding attachment to do this. Next rinse the piece in running water and check it again and remove any leftover bits you may find and any jagged edges that may hurt your fish, as well as any bark as this is the first to fall off the wood. If there are any holes in the wood make sure they are large enough so the fish won’t get stuck in them.
Now comes the fun part. The wood needs to be sterilized to kill off any creepy crawlies that may be in the wood as well as any unwanted molds or bacteria. You can treat smaller pieces by putting them in a large pot and filling it with water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. This is dome anywhere from 1 hour to 8 hours. Anything living in the wood will be killed. It also helps to remove tannins from the wood and forces air from the wood as well as sterilizing it. During this time tannins may leach out of the wood so change the water often.
If the wood is to large try boiling one end for the time limit then turn it over and boil the other end. If the wood is to large for even this; you can try placing the wood in a large container such as a Rubbermaid storage bin or a kiddies wading pool and pour boiling water over it; turning the wood occasionally to make sure you soak the wood all the way through.
Lastly when you have finished sterilizing your wood you soak it changing the water every day or so. This is to saturate the wood so that it sinks. This can take anywhere from a day to months. You may have to weigh down the wood so it doesn’t float. If you don’t want to wait that long you may attach the wood to a piece of slate using stainless steel screws or with aquarium safe silicone allowing time for the silicone to cure.
Found driftwood may need to replaced more often than LFS wood such as Mopani as it may decompose faster than store bought driftwood.
Driftwood can be found in many places such as lakes, rivers, streams and even in the woods.
There are some places where collecting driftwood is illegal. Check with the local ranger or wildlife people before collecting any driftwood.
Avoid softwoods such as ash, pine, or cedar which may release pitch and toxins into your tank. So can eucalyptus. These woods also rot more quickly than hardwoods (i.e. oak, maple, elm and hickory ). A quick test is to press the edge of your fingernail into the wood. If it goes in easily you probably have softwood. Never take wood directly from trees.
Avoid wood that is obviously rotting or have green spots on them. These spots could be copper which can be harmful to your fish. Also make sure you are collecting wood from areas that aren’t polluted as once it’s in the wood it’s nearly impossible to get it out. Also if you found your piece in the woods make sure no spraying was done. Some areas still spray for Gypsy moths and other things.
Curing your own driftwood can be very time consuming and involve some creative measures if the piece is large.
Okay, you’ve found the perfect piece or pieces and brought them home. The first thing you need to do is to remove any loose bits and bark from your find. Use a stiff or wire brush to do this. I’ve read about some people using a power washer to do this. Use whatever works for you. If there are any soft areas in the wood remove them. I’ve used a Drimel with a sanding attachment to do this. Next rinse the piece in running water and check it again and remove any leftover bits you may find and any jagged edges that may hurt your fish, as well as any bark as this is the first to fall off the wood. If there are any holes in the wood make sure they are large enough so the fish won’t get stuck in them.
Now comes the fun part. The wood needs to be sterilized to kill off any creepy crawlies that may be in the wood as well as any unwanted molds or bacteria. You can treat smaller pieces by putting them in a large pot and filling it with water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. This is dome anywhere from 1 hour to 8 hours. Anything living in the wood will be killed. It also helps to remove tannins from the wood and forces air from the wood as well as sterilizing it. During this time tannins may leach out of the wood so change the water often.
If the wood is to large try boiling one end for the time limit then turn it over and boil the other end. If the wood is to large for even this; you can try placing the wood in a large container such as a Rubbermaid storage bin or a kiddies wading pool and pour boiling water over it; turning the wood occasionally to make sure you soak the wood all the way through.
Lastly when you have finished sterilizing your wood you soak it changing the water every day or so. This is to saturate the wood so that it sinks. This can take anywhere from a day to months. You may have to weigh down the wood so it doesn’t float. If you don’t want to wait that long you may attach the wood to a piece of slate using stainless steel screws or with aquarium safe silicone allowing time for the silicone to cure.
Found driftwood may need to replaced more often than LFS wood such as Mopani as it may decompose faster than store bought driftwood.
