Preparing Driftwood?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
D

Druu

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 16, 2007
4,135
5
0
Notre Dame, IN
I've got this awesome centerpiece of DW for my 38g tank. It was collected and I need to prep it for my tank. Any advice on the steps? I know I'll need to scrub it, bake it, and boil it.

Main question is regarding the time and temperature at which I should bake it. I also wanted to note that I'll be using an electric oven, if that matters at all. I've read some of the threads here, but am missing exact numbers. Thanks in advance! :)
 
Whenever I use driftwood, I scrub it in warm water a few times, then let it sit in boiling, or hot water for a few hours.. Depending on the size... You should boil it, but I have had a few large peices of DW and couldn't boil, so set it in a tub of HOT water.. Hope this helps...
 
Thanks, no need to bake in case of bugs and bacteria in the wood? I know the boiling should take care of most of them, but I was concerned about the internal stuff. How long should I boil it for? The DW is about 26 inches long, and I was planning on boiling one end at a time- I've got a pot large enough to submerge a little more than half the piece in.
 
2 ways that I know of-1)boiling 2)tubbing in a large tub with aquarium salt BUT BUT BUT if its for freshwater you will have to resoak it in regular water out in the sun for a few days to make sure all salt is off it.you could also power wash it and scrub it and bake it.but baking it probably wont work if ya cant boil it.
 
actually-boiling one end at a time may work as long as it covers the whole piece.the power washing is so it removes the crappy wood/rot etc.and you should soak it a few days afterwards to prevent clouding your water.
 
Yeah thats fine, I would do a few hours on both sides, thats all it really takes.. Any photos?
 
Malawi-;2356150; said:
Yeah thats fine, I would do a few hours on both sides, thats all it really takes.. Any photos?
Click to expand...

I've got a camera, but not the usb cord. A friend gave me a cord which I tried last night- it blew the USB ports on my laptop. So no pictures for a while... sorry
 
Its fine, jw. :)
 
Boiled for 1.5 hours on one end then flipped. When I submerged the other end, a single ant walked out. Is this a good or bad sign? Indicative that the wood has not been treated and has no pesticides, but also could mean rot?

It went 1.5 hours each side, then an hour on each side.

It's currently sitting in a room temp 25 gallon rubbermaid tub that someone was going to throw out. (Rubbermaid is clean.) Thinking of using the rubbermaid to quarantine feeders since I've got spare filters around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom