Lol, fish on the brain.

[Hoplo]

Nothing more fun then going out for walks, and coming back with arms full of drift wood.
Agree that it is best to sterilise before use, and I always just use chlorine to do it, then rinse off with a chlorine remover.

After that I tend to store it in my turtle pond so it gets water logged ready for use. There is a lot of pieces of random wood in my turtle pond now.

 

[Frank Castle]

Yes, because we all know that fish come from completely sterile environment. Blast with a garden hose and plop it in.

You know how people say "they do it in the wild"?

"The Wild" also isn't a glass box filled with water or a 6 foot cage w/ some branches and a water dish.

It drops down to 32F in Florida sometimes, but that doesn't mean I would ever allow a captive FL species to go anywhere NEAR that low of a temperature, right?

 

[rodger]

Meh....... Been doing it that way for nearly 50 years. Maybe that's why all my fish die after a few months? Lol

 

[Frank Castle]

Meh....... Been doing it that way for nearly 50 years. Maybe that's why all my fish die after a few months? Lol

LOL! at least we're getting somewhere haha

 

[Binge]

I usually just pour boiling water over the big pieces 4-5 times in case I miss spots.. Bleach scares the crap out of me with a fish tank.

 

[Hoplo]

I usually just pour boiling water over the big pieces 4-5 times in case I miss spots.. Bleach scares the crap out of me with a fish tank.

As long as you buy the unscented stuff (so the cheapest stuff you can find) and it is chlorine based then it should all just evaporate off, and if it doesn't fish keepers tend to have plenty of a chemical that will detoxify chlorine quickly on hand all the time.

 

[Frank Castle]

I usually just pour boiling water over the big pieces 4-5 times in case I miss spots.. Bleach scares the crap out of me with a fish tank.

As long as you buy the unscented stuff (so the cheapest stuff you can find) and it is chlorine based then it should all just evaporate off, and if it doesn't fish keepers tend to have plenty of a chemical that will detoxify chlorine quickly on hand all the time.

^^^^this. Bleach doesn't leave any residue like soap or detergents or anything along those lines - along with alcohol, vinegar or plain ol' boiling water, these are the only things that are safe to clean tanks and décor with

As I stated you certainly rinse for a good 5 minutes + and let it air dry, that way it has plenty of time to evaporate. No reason to worry about bleach as long as it's not soaking for days on end. In a bottle, it will leach into the plastic and make the bottle smell like bleach even when rinsed and empty, but that's not the same deal. I even said MARK the bottle so it's used ONLY for bleach/water solution.....in the open-air, it starts evaporating as soon as you pour it, practically.

 

[Greenspot]

Frank I think you have convinced me to try the bleach.

 

[Frank Castle]

Frank I think you have convinced me to try the bleach.

try a 2nd spray bottle filled w/ water with dechlorinator for after your big long rinse w/ the hose.


I would take the bark off cuz it's probably loaded w/ dirt and debris, but if you decide not to, let it dry in the sun an extra day or 2

 

[Binge]

Bark can rot in the tank as well much more easily then the hardwood in the middle.

I know bleach is chlorine based and that it gases out over time. But having been burned by it myself as a human I just cant help that having it around my tanks or decor makes me ancy.