Drift wood????

[starlit_rain]

What kind of wood makes the best drift wood? How do you prepare it for you tank?

 

[Merbeast]

*learning from my mistakes* boil the wood you wish to use for a while, and make sure there is no bark on it. Hard woods seem to hold up better than soft woods. WATCH YOUR PH after you put the wood in the tank, or better, while you age it in a seperate bucket. The more you boil it/age it, the less it will dump your pH.

 

[noidea]

*learning from my mistakes* boil the wood you wish to use for a while, and make sure there is no bark on it. Hard woods seem to hold up better than soft woods. WATCH YOUR PH after you put the wood in the tank, or better, while you age it in a seperate bucket. The more you boil it/age it, the less it will dump your pH.

How do you make the wood sink?

 

[Cross127]

The best wood to use is hard woods. Malaysian bogwood is the best IMO. To make wood sink you just have to boil the living day lights out of it until all the air has creeped out or just put rocks on top on the piece you want to secure. You can also drill in a piece of slate to the wood and burry the slate into the substrate. Make sure the screws aren't metal though. You can use wood push pegs with ridges in them. I use them all the time and they work just as good as anything else.

 

[noidea]

What does Malaysian bogwood look like and where can I get it???

 

[Merbeast]

your lfs will have it. Around here, it is $4.99 per pound typically.

 

[Mystix212]

It isnt cheap.
Most woods intended for aquarium use are in fact, not the standard wood that should be used.

What you could do is go down to a lake/river/ocean etc and collect your own. Boil it for a day or two then place it into your tank.

 

[Volenti]

In my experience ( I collect my own driftwood) the best wood is long dead and sun bleached mangrove, it's a hardwood, sinks easily, doesn't leach tannins and can be found in many interesting forms and shapes.