Newbie guide to using driftwood

[ratava]

I am wanting to add driftwood to my new 75gal tank. I have searched this forum and read what I could about preparing driftwood for use in freshwater tanks.

Apart from boiling/soaking the timber, Is there anything else I should be doing? Is there any sort of wood I should not be using ?

TIA
RatAvA

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy and Welcome to MFK!!!

Here's what I do, and how I select my driftwood:

- the river has to be clean, no industry along the shores!
- the wood has to be well weathered, washed out to the fiber. If it has bark, it's too young. It needs to look like it's spent years and years in the water
- only use wood from flowing bodies of water, never from stagnant areas.
- do not use wood that was covered with mud, it must be located in the stream
- Stay away from conifers. Look at the vegetation along the stream and upstream closely!

Self-harvested wood is a lot of fun. I got my latest piece from a canoeing trip


HarleyK

ps
needless to say, fresh wood or wood that has not spent a significant amount of time in water cannot be used.

 

[tjudy]

HarleyK's advice is sound. Collecting good driftwood is fun, but can be difficult depending upon where you are at. If you are heading out to public lands you might want to check your state's laws. Here is Wisconsin collect driftwood from public waterways is now illegal. Since all navigable waterways are considered public, the collection of driftwood here is all but over. Chances of getting caught... or getting anything other than a warning... close to nil... but better to know what you are getting into.

Most collected driftwood does nto sink, so you might need to screw a piece of slate onto the bottom of a very large piece. Personally, I do not like the slates. If you do that, clear all the gravel off the bottom, set the slate flat on glas, and then cover the slate with gravel. If there is a layer of gravel under the slate you risk creating an area of anaerobic decomposition of wastes which can release hydrogen sulfides and cause problems in the tank.

I use Malaysian driftwood.

 

[ratava]

Thanks for the advice. I am planning to take a friends boat to a local river to do some hunting .

 

[LA213]

HarleyK's advice is sound. Collecting good driftwood is fun, but can be difficult depending upon where you are at. If you are heading out to public lands you might want to check your state's laws. Here is Wisconsin collect driftwood from public waterways is now illegal. Since all navigable waterways are considered public, the collection of driftwood here is all but over. Chances of getting caught... or getting anything other than a warning... close to nil... but better to know what you are getting into.

Most collected driftwood does nto sink, so you might need to screw a piece of slate onto the bottom of a very large piece. Personally, I do not like the slates. If you do that, clear all the gravel off the bottom, set the slate flat on glas, and then cover the slate with gravel. If there is a layer of gravel under the slate you risk creating an area of anaerobic decomposition of wastes which can release hydrogen sulfides and cause problems in the tank.

I use Malaysian driftwood.

if the driftwood does not sink..that means its too young or still not matured..

 

[davidhusker]

but if it doesnt sink you could just put some slate on it or you could wait the 8 months or so...

 

[hillbilly]

Wood collected underwater will always sink, since it is completely waterlogged. Just don't let it dry out before you use it, or it will float like a cork.