drift wood?

[Rockbass6]

I get the water has hot as I can with salt in the water. It will kill any unwanted pests because their cells won't be able to handle it. Scrub off bark if there is any, I try and find wood that isn't completely dried out because it will sink to the bottom faster. You can find good pieces at a lake near the mouth of a stream after a nice storm.
Plants like java moss look nice if you tie it around the drifwood it will stick within a couple weeks and you will have a nice looking setup pretty quick without spending a ton of money.

 

[dysfunctionaljd]

I would look for wood that is already water logged, large pieces can take forever to sink. I had a really nice piece i found that was only half in a creek, I kept it in a kiddie pool held down with bricks for 6 months and it would still float to the top when the bricks were removed.

 

[pengu13]

My understanding is that any hard wood is alright and you only have to stay a way from coniferous trees

 

[troubleshootn]

Find the largest wettest piece you can, it will make things easier from the get go. Rub it down with salt ,if you cant submerge it, let it sit wet for awhile. power wash it and toss it in.