driftwood question

[jeremy1]

just picked up a nice piece of driftwood i need to prepare to put in a tank.when soaking to be waterlogged does the water in the container(not aquarium) need to be changed or can it just stay there for a couple of weeks and rinsed well before addng to the tank? thanks for any info!!

[joe_jaskot]

If the piece of driftwood is leaching lots of tannins (water is turning brown), you may want to change the water that it is sitting in. If the water is clear, no need to change it. When I find a piece of driftwood, I usually add a bit of bleach to the container to kill any organisms that may be living on it. Note that the bleach may lighten the color of the wood. Placing the wood in boiling water is another option for killing anything that may be living on it.

[royallen]

I've been "making" my own driftwood for years by soaking the wood until it sinks on it's own. Usually I'll put a rock on the wood to hold it down which probably accelerates the process. This is done in a large outdoor container without fish. Once it is waterlogged the wood is removed from the water and dried which kills any critters that require water to survive. Then it goes into an aquarium where a rock may be required to hold it down until it becomes waterlogged again. It helps to remove any bark that may be on the wood as it tends to flake off in the aquarium over time. The fun part is searching for the wood in local forests or along roadsides. Bring a saw!

[atorres]

Is driftwood suitable in an african cichlid tank? Doesn't it lower the PH of water? I used it in a Discus tank where a ph of 6 is preferred.
Angel

[joe_jaskot]

Is driftwood suitable in an african cichlid tank? Doesn't it lower the PH of water? I used it in a Discus tank where a ph of 6 is preferred.
Angel
I have driftwood in a few of my african cichlid tanks (some has been in there for years). Does not affect the fish. I never check my pH.

[jeremy1]

thanks for the info guys.i am actually not using the wood for africans its going in a planted tank im trying out. i bought it at my local lfs so no bark.ill try and soak it in a bucket in the garage.unfortunately its too large to boil.

[Zippo]

Attach the wood to a pc of tile and it'll stay down, sooner or later it will do it on it's own.:becky: