Getting Bogwood To Sink?

[ChrisCook]

I'm getting back in to fish keeping after a couple of years without a tank. I have just bought some small pieces of bogwood but they appear to float! How do I get them to sink? I'm sure there's an obvious solution!

 

[Byron]

All wood will (or should) sink once it is waterlogged, and different wood takes less or more time to do this.  Soaking the wood in a bucket of water sometimes works; the larger the wood the longer it will take.  Attaching the wood to a piece of slate and then burying the slate under the substrate is another method that can work, though the larger the chunk of wood the larger must be the slate and sometimes this can cause other problems.  Wedging the wood down with rock can also work, this is better for smaller pieces than larger.
 
This is one reason I like the Malaysian Driftwood.  This may have other names, ironwood, etc.  It is very dark brown and sinks immediately as it is heavier and denser.
 
Byron.

 

[ChrisCook]

Thanks Byron, I have been soaking it for 12 hours. Failing that I will strap it to some slate as you mention

 

[Alasse]

Put in it hot salty water, the heat will make the wood open the fibre and help it to sink quicker. If it has very dense inner fibre though it can take a while

 

[ShinySideUp]

Twelve hours is not enough. I bought a large piece of bogwood and it took three weeks to sink; it's like a stone now though.

 

[ChrisCook]

Thanks