Best way to clean driftwood? [Archive]

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Barracuda

Mon Feb 02, 2009, 06:20 AM

Whats the best way to clean driftwood? I am wanting to get rid of (or at least most of) the tannin, as well as the small bits of wood that come off it.
My piece is around a metre long, so i cant boil it. Any suggestions?

Hollowman

Mon Feb 02, 2009, 06:19 PM

Time and frequent water changes :shock:

Matt15

Mon Feb 02, 2009, 11:19 PM

I had the same problem. Boiling is impossble so I used a bleeching method.
Lucky I could fit my pieces in an esky so I could seal it up. From memory I treated it twice leaving it to dry out in the sun for a day or two inbetween. I also soaked it for a few days in just water to ensure no chemicals were left. But bleech will evaporate so its a sound method to use.

Nitecongt

Tue Feb 03, 2009, 10:46 PM

i use the bath for really big pieces. lot's of water and changed it when the water was really 'black'. then drained the water into the garden after

AHC

Mon Feb 09, 2009, 05:08 AM

Another way if we are talking options is to chop the peice into sections, boil, put into the oven or as mentioned above and then screw back together for the display.

jesx57

Thu Feb 12, 2009, 01:52 AM

When I prepare driftwood, I usually give it a good spray with the gurney, then set up a 44 gallon drum with water over a fire. Then put your pieces of driftwood and boil it for 2 hours or so.

Barracuda

Thu Feb 12, 2009, 09:50 AM

Thanks for all the replies!
My driftwood is softwood i think...when i soak it in water the wood seems to "flake" off. Would this be suitable for the tank?

AHC

Thu Feb 12, 2009, 09:12 PM

Dont use soft wood. It will rot away in your tank. Some hard woods have flaky peices where they are not that old and its just the outside - scrub this off.. Check to make sure its soft or hard wood.

Barracuda

Fri Feb 13, 2009, 05:31 AM

Dont use soft wood. It will rot away in your tank. Some hard woods have flaky peices where they are not that old and its just the outside - scrub this off.. Check to make sure its soft or hard wood.

Is there a special way i can tell if its soft of hardwood?

taksan

Fri Feb 13, 2009, 10:56 AM

Soft wood is no good ... it will flake as you said ...unless you have Panaques ..then it will be eaten.

Barracuda

Fri Feb 13, 2009, 11:17 PM

braddiscusfish

Thu Apr 09, 2009, 08:51 AM

I've had my driftwood from the pet store boiled. Then sitting in a large bucket in the sun for at least 6 months changing the water weekly. Still plenty of tannin coming out.....ahhhh! At least I am learning patience! :-P

DiscusDave

Thu Apr 09, 2009, 09:32 AM

Soft wood is no good ... it will flake as you said ...unless you have Panaques ..then it will be eaten.

Panaques...? Are they like plecos? I know they eat the driftwood...

(btw, what is that fish you have as your avatar, Taksan? It looks very interesting!)

Yes Panaques is a form of pleco - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panaque

Taksan's avatar looks like a tiger shovel nose catfish - nice fish, grow very large.