Cigarette smoke and driftwood

[Joshuakahan]

A friend of mine picked up a bunch of nice large driftwood and offered me some of it. Unfortunately the original owner was a heavy smoker and smoked in the garage where the wood was kept and they have a heavy cigarette smell. Is this an issue and if so will soaking fix the problem?

 

[FJB]

No issue at all. Any smell will go away quickly.

 

[esoxlucius]

Studies have been carried out on this type of stuff, and the conclusions were not good for the fish! Not surprising really when you consider the many thousands of complex chemical compounds in cigarette smoke, some of them extremely toxic.

But they were studies of the effect that AIRBORNE cigarette smoke had on fish, and NOT something, such as your driftwood, which has been in contact with cigarette smoke and then placed in an aquarium. I suppose that's altogether different.....or is it?

Me? I'd be getting myself a new piece of driftwood for peace of mind.

 

[Potato Patatto]

Soak it some water for a few days to a couple weeks, wouldn’t worry me personally.