I want to cure a large peice of drftwood I found. I heard boiling it in a pot of boiling water will sanitize it, but it's too large to fit in a pot, so I was wondering if putting it in a sauna room or hotub would be hot enough to have the same effect. Also, I'm not sure boiling it in hot water will completely rid the driftwood of anything negative, or do I have to scrub it afterwardes
Curing Driftwood
- Thread starter Fishstronomy
- Start date
I collect my own driftwood and have never "cured" it. All I do is power wash it off and then let it dry out completely. With this method I have never had any kind of issues. As long as you're not collecting it from a grimy roadside ditch I feel there is no need to boil it or "cure" it..
Thanks I'll try that. So after I powerwash it and let it dry out completely, its fine to directly put it in the tank?
A soak in a mild bleach/water solution is best. It will also help "bleach out" most of the tannins in the wood too. It might discolor the wood slightly on the surface but a good wash with a power washer afterwards usually blasts off the fine layer of bleached out wood.
I have tried putting untreated wood in tanks before and had some weird tube worms appear.
I have tried putting untreated wood in tanks before and had some weird tube worms appear.
Would the bleach possibly poison the fish afterwardes? And how long should I leave the wood in the solution
I've never used bleach, for fear I would not get it all out, so I use the boiling method. If the wood is too big for a pot I find something big enough, like large buckets, bath tub or trash cans. I refill whatever I'm using a few times until the water isn't as yellow, preferably clear and that usually takes a few days. Scrub it and its good to go.
That method has saved me from putting too soft of driftwood into my tank. If the wood has sap the heat will make it come out.
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That method has saved me from putting too soft of driftwood into my tank. If the wood has sap the heat will make it come out.
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Well you want to wash it off good and another soak in plain water with some dechlorinator added should take care of any problems.
I usually soak mine in a 35gallon trash can with 1-2 cups of bleach added for 24hrs. Remove, rinse and re-soak in clean water for another 24hr with some dechlorinator, then another good rinse. If it has any kind of chlorine smell to it still, re-soak in clean water with dechlorinator until smell is gone. I've never had to soak in clean water twice.
When I treated a 5' piece of dw
1) power washed it to remove any debri
2) soaked in tub w hot water n bleach for 24 hours
3) soaked in tub with cold water n dechlor for a few days with numberous water changes to get rid of the bleach
4) soaked in my pond for a several weeks to get it to sink
Been in my tank for several years now without problems
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1) power washed it to remove any debri
2) soaked in tub w hot water n bleach for 24 hours
3) soaked in tub with cold water n dechlor for a few days with numberous water changes to get rid of the bleach
4) soaked in my pond for a several weeks to get it to sink
Been in my tank for several years now without problems
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Powerwash, boil large pots of water and dump them over it. That should take care of it. The amount of tannins really depends on the type of wood.
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Thanks for all the feedback, I'll try all the methods on smaller driftwood, and put it in my extra tank and see how it goes