How do I prepare driftwood?

[Matt724]

So I found some driftwood up in Mammoth lakes and have been soaking them in plain hose water for 3 days now. A couple of them still float so my first question is how do I get them to sink again (since I found them sunk)? Second, how do I sterilize them for use in my tank. I've heard a lot of different things, but I want something that truly works, doesn't lower pH, or release too much tannins. I heard putting it in chlorine water is good for killing bacteria, so can I just throw it in my pool, let it sit for a day or two, then put it in my tank? Can I take boiling water and just pour it onto it?

 

[Lupin]

Boiling water will turn some wood into mush. I just stick to hot water and salt. You could try chlorine but be sure to wash it thoroughly for chlorine residues. If you have a bath tub or basin, fill them with water and place them there to sink.

Almost all woods will leach tannins and your pH will not go down depending on your hardness levels. If your hardness level is very high, no need to worry about the pH lowered by tannins because it will not likely happen. It will take a lot of tannins to notice a significant drop of pH even in the slightest.

 

[kal123456]

I boiled my driftwood for about 1-2 hours so the dirt comes of. Before that time I had them in regular water for 5 days so they can sink. My wood made my pH lower, from 7.5 to 7.2-7.3, somewhere like that.