hi i found a piece of wood...

minh · Aug 16, 2003

well it is a old piece of wood... but not rotten, anyway i am wondering if i can do anything to make it clean etc... and put it in my tank? if so what procedures do i need to do?

i dunno what drift/ bog wood is like but surely i can diy it myself... for free

snotirl · Aug 17, 2003

What u need to do is boil it in hot water a few times well around 3 times and with clean water each time it kills any bacteria in the wood and cleans it!

MamaFish · Aug 17, 2003

Hi, Yes you should boil the piece of wood 2-3 times to kill the bateria, then put it in a 5 gallon bucket filled with water and let it sit there till it sinks to the bottom. Everyday it is in the bucket test the water and make a log. After it sinks test the water again ... make sure that there is no ammonia present, that the nitrItes and nitrAtes are ready correctly. Pull the piece of wood out and put a little bit of vinegar on the wood, if it bubbles it is unstable to put in the tank. If it does not bubble, you have a new piece of wood for your tank. Enjoy!

HTH

minh · Aug 21, 2003

i took up both of ur advice and the wood not only floats but bubbles constantly so i gave up...

decided to buy one from the pet shop. looks real good too

crimsontsavo · Aug 22, 2003

ahh well.
If you really like the wood, submerge it in a garbage can full of water.(can take anywhere from days to months)Then boil it after it's water logged.

. I usually get all my wood from the creek, it's been submerged for years.Never lost a fish to it yet,LOL. (crosses fingers).~hugs :fun:

Wasserpest · Aug 25, 2003

I would NOT get a dry piece of wood in my tank. Even if you boil and submerge it, this is when the rotting process really starts.

Go find a nice clean river, and look for root pieces. They should be very heavy, which is a sign that they have been submerged for a long time. Most harmful stuff, like Tannins, has been leached out.

Boil it and/or clean it with a stiff bristled brush, to get rid of soft parts and any alien critters.

Of course, the pet shop is an alternative, but be careful, if the wood doesn't sink it might not be suitable.

As they say... A piece of driftwood... $10... A bunch of dead fish... $30... A trip to the next river... priceless!
:alien: