Hey, I recently found a piece of driftwood on my local beach and I've been soaking it for a few weeks now. Last night I pulled it out of the bin it has been soaking in and it has a slime coat on it and there are a few spots on the wood that really smell. Should I be at all concerned before I put this in my tank?
Driftwood
- Thread starter scorzellim
- Start date
possibly bacteria? I would recommend boiling it before you put it in the tank just in case there's anything nasty growing on it. After that, it should be safe for your fish tank.
You could try taking a scrub brush and giving it a good cleaning with some water with a couple drops of bleach and then soak it some more. I've also heard you can use vinegar to clean the wood which would be less risky.
There are a number of obvious preferences before it should go into a tank: the wood should be dead, clear of bacteria and larger organisms, and depending on your preferences, devoid of significant tannins.
I think you're right to be concerned over smelly and slimy wood. Are those areas soft?
If it's too big to boil, then an option is first scrub it down (again), perhaps with a stiff bristle or a wire brush, then a 24-48 hour bleach bath.
The brushing should only be hard enough to remove loose debris and any obvious areas that might harbor infestations of wood rot.
The bleach can be diluted. Afterwards, I'd give it a few days in clean water, changing the water a couple times.
Boiling will help remove tannins, but if you are fine with tea-colored water (personally, I like the look), or if it has little tannin, you don't have a need to worry about that.
Rotting wood or wood with obvious wild life should probably never go into most tanks.
I think you're right to be concerned over smelly and slimy wood. Are those areas soft?
If it's too big to boil, then an option is first scrub it down (again), perhaps with a stiff bristle or a wire brush, then a 24-48 hour bleach bath.
The brushing should only be hard enough to remove loose debris and any obvious areas that might harbor infestations of wood rot.
The bleach can be diluted. Afterwards, I'd give it a few days in clean water, changing the water a couple times.
Boiling will help remove tannins, but if you are fine with tea-colored water (personally, I like the look), or if it has little tannin, you don't have a need to worry about that.
Rotting wood or wood with obvious wild life should probably never go into most tanks.
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I filled my tub with boiling water as in the water was bubbling hot
I second the bleach soak. When I soaked my driftwood, I put about 1/4 gallon into a 55 gallon drum, let the wood soak for about 24 hours. Then, I drained that water and filled it with clean water and a bit of dechlorinator and let it soak for another 24 hours. Then, I repeated the rinse cycle one more time and it went into the tank after that.
Personally i wouldn't be putting anything in my tank that has been floating around in a river or ocean , you have no idea what toxins could have been soaked up into it over time or what bacteria lies within
If you insist i would follow the suggestions of other to bleach bath it, pressure wash and i would let it dry out again before re submerging in your tub to prep it for your tank
If you insist i would follow the suggestions of other to bleach bath it, pressure wash and i would let it dry out again before re submerging in your tub to prep it for your tank