driftwood to epensive.. here are some tips to make your own

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ianmiscool69

ianmiscool69

Banned
Jul 3, 2007
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nicaragua
since driftwood is so expensive i have found different ways to make my own that actually work.

1-Boil it for 10-15 min. this will kill anything that lives on it becuase parasites cannot live in that hot of water for that long. This will help it sink faster

2-piece of wood to big?? thats ok, just place it in a bath tub and boil water then pour the boiling water COMPLETELY over it. Do this mulitple times.

3-pour bleach solution on it. Use 10% bleach to water solution all over it. then rinse it till it no longer smells like bleach or even has a bleach smell to it.

4-pressure wash it

5- take it to a self car wash. Use rinse cycle on it. NO SOAP.

6- The last and least effective way is to let it sit out in the sun for 1 to 2 weeks.

DO NOT pick live branches for it. Well you can. It most likely wont hurt your fish but it will leave sap in the water and who wants that
 
Pretty good post. THere are a few methods that are more effective than placing it in a tub and adding boiling water, as the water on the wood wouldn't be deep enough. Picking live branches is not a good method, as you will have live cells that will die, which can cause an ammonia spike.
 
there are more effective ones definately but these are just ones i know that are simple. But you dont fill up a tub. all you do is pour boiling water all over the piece many times "10 to 15" or you can do less
 
ianmiscool69;1018124;1018124 said:
there are more effective ones definately but these are just ones i know that are simple. But you dont fill up a tub. all you do is pour boiling water all over the piece many times "10 to 15" or you can do less
Click to expand...
10-15 times won't kill the bacteria that lies within the wood. There are easier, and better methods that will 'clean' the wood using a bathtub.
 
I boil mine for 3 to 4 hrs in salt water. then wire brush it and power wa**** then ancor it in water until it will stay on the bottom this helps remove the tannins from the wood before you put it in your aquarium.
 
WyldFya;1018161; said:
10-15 times won't kill the bacteria that lies within the wood. There are easier, and better methods that will 'clean' the wood using a bathtub.
Click to expand...

Yes thats not enough. It wont penetrate like your were boiling it. Hell my bathwater gets so damn hot I wouldn't be suprised if it came out at 212DF. I have like a SUPER water heater lol. I just put my wood in the bathtub fill the tub up with the super hot water and change the water when the tannins and dirt get to much. Usually takes about an hour and a half to do so. Oh and I scrub the crap out of it using a scrub brush. So does this thread count for wood that you would find on a forest floor because I just found an amazing peice and I pretty sure it was from a maple or oak tree. It had some dirt and nasty whitish stuff on it got it off so is it ok?
 
Wood found in a forest may or may not work. There is little to no chance it will sink within the year even. You will have to remove the bark, and boil it beyond belief! :D
 
nice this is a tight thread
:D
im gunna use this on a nice peice i found in my backyard
:D
 
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