driftwood

[lpiasente]

I just got myself a 4x2x2 and am looking for a nice branchy bit of driftwood. I was haivng a chat with a guy at an aquarium yesterday about it and he said that he just picks his up off the surfbeach or rivers. He said as long as it is light and well weathered it would be a fine addition.He did suggest to bake it in the oven soak it and then check water condtions to see if it changes the ph. He has been doing this for years and never had any problems. I live on the beach and near a river and thought that I would go and have a look but wanted to check here first if there is any type of wood not suitable.I just can't find a nice fine piece it is all small or too big and chunky. What do you think? Is it too risky?

[jesx57]

In that size tank you should be able to find some nice big pieces of wood. I have four medium pieces in my 3 footer. I just go for a wander through the bushland at the back of my house and usually find some hollow pieces termites have eaten out. I was lucky enough to find three that were hollow logs, the fish just love them, especially cichlids and catfish. I have never taken pieces from the beach, but I always boil any new wood I find in a 44gal drum for a few hours then clean it out with a pressurized sprayer. The driftwood you find at the beach is probably full of salt and micro-organisms, so you'll have to boil it well to get all that salt out. The price of wood at LFS is usually quite pricey, so I wouldn't really bother buying anything. Your best bet would be to look in some bushland, if you can, or a river. The wood I get is from the ironbark tree and they do leach tannins, but it looks good if you have an Amazon setup. It can take a few months for the wood to stop leaching tannins. The wood also drops my pH around 6, but that can be fixed if you put a bit of crushed coral in your tank. In my opinion, the beach driftwood may be a bit risky, but if you do get some, just set up a fire and boil it for a whole day, and you should be fine. Best of luck! :)

[swingn]

I've always bought drift wood from my local fish shop. As jesx57 says, they can be full of micro organisms etc. Obviously boiling it would do the trick, but that can prove to be very tricky especially with large pieces of drift wood.

Whenever I've gotten a new bit of drift wood, I generally stick it in my bathtub or bucket (If possible) & soak it for a week or two with some water ager. Give it a good scrub just with my hands & I've never had any problems.

[jaredw1983]

for all my pieces of drift wood i have just got them off the side of the road, still beays me why people pay for something that is easily found on the side of the road or a short walk into some bush land. Try a few places and you will end up finding the perfect piece.

[Hollowman]

for all my pieces of drift wood i have just got them off the side of the road, still beays me why people pay for something that is easily found on the side of the road or a short walk into some bush land. Try a few places and you will end up finding the perfect piece.

The reason being, that when you pick a piece of wood up from the roadside, or in the 'bush' (we dont have that here in the UK) , unless you know your woods very well, some can leech poisionous toxins/sap into your tank water, and kill your fish.
Maybe better to buy from a lfs to be sure. Expensive yes! but safe.

Hollowman

[lpiasente]

That was my concern about the sap and toxins that's why I thought I would check on here first. I did get a beautiful pce given to me yesterday so I do't need to go looking. Thanks for all your help.

[jesx57]

Yes I get my pieces from bushland, but I always get them from trees that have fallen down and are all dried up. The bark has fallen off and they are all grey, so they must have been dead for a few years.

[lpiasente]

Ok that's a couple of people that have done it with no problems. I still may have a look and see what is out there.

[jaredw1983]

for all my pieces of drift wood i have just got them off the side of the road, still beays me why people pay for something that is easily found on the side of the road or a short walk into some bush land. Try a few places and you will end up finding the perfect piece.

The reason being, that when you pick a piece of wood up from the roadside, or in the 'bush' (we dont have that here in the UK) , unless you know your woods very well, some can leech poisionous toxins/sap into your tank water, and kill your fish.
Maybe better to buy from a lfs to be sure. Expensive yes! but safe.

Hollowman

yeh each to their own, i always soak mine for a month or so before hand in a bucket outside and keep changing th water and have never had any issues. Also have mates who get stuff from the "bush" one day and put it in their tank the next with no issues.

[Nitecongt]

swimming pool (salt/chlorinate) works for me.

I toss er in for a month or two before it gets the bath tub treatment.