Big fish tank decorations

[AJD4]

Where do you guys get your big fish tank decorations like wood or drift wood!


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[Chaz88]

When I had my 600g I salvaged drift wood form the edge of a lake. Cleaned it dried it then glued to the bottom of the tank tell it absorbed enough water to stay. Took quite some time for the tannins to stop leaching into the water and making it brown. The fish did not mind the brown water though.

 

[virgil2090]

I agree,collect your own.I have never had problems with wood and rocks I used in tanks.if it's soft wood stay away.you can get stumps from river/lake shorelines.bring a good hand axe and small hack saw.I see the prices on big DW-no way
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[Oddball]

I collect my own driftwood along rivers and creeks. I like hunting late winter/early spring when the water levels drop and there's still no bugs out.

 

[AJD4]

So is it better to get sunken logs or dried out logs? And what's the best way to clean them how should I do it?


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[Oddball]

I get pieces at or near the waterline where their still water-logged. I only keep pieces with no bark since the bark indicates that the wood may likely be unseasoned enough for use. I pressure wash the pieces to get any big chunks off. Then, spray the pieces down with a saturated salt solution. From there, the pieces are dropped in one of my stock bins to leach the salt back out. Another pressure wash is completed before they're placed in my tanks.

 

[FMA4ME]

How long in the bin to leach the salt out Oddball? Does the dw retain THAT much salt?

 

[Oddball]

Usually, a week in the clean out bath is fine. I test them by letting the surface dry and checking for salt staining on the wood surface. If there are no whitened spots it's ready for the tank. The amount of salt retention varies with each piece. Wood species, heartwood/barkwood, natural seasoning time, etc. all play a part in the porosity and salt retention of the wood.

 

[warhawk]

Thanks for the info. Soon as the weather breaks around here I'm going to talk my wife in to a nice walk along the river, so I can look for wood. Wonder if she will figure out my motives before I start wading out into the water, but more important will she let me in the car if I get wet?

 

[Chaz88]

more important will she let me in the car if I get wet?

Probably not. Would she be suspicious if you wore hip waders on the walk. Could put them in a trash bag in the trunk after to keep the smell out of the car. But how you are going to haul the muddy stinking wood is another matter.