I went down to the river and got a nice long peice of driftwood. What is the best way to go about sterlizing it??
Treating Driftwood
- Thread starter timbo08
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Basic idea is: if its small enough throw it is a boiling pot. If not use the bathtub, and crank the water heater to its max. If you don't mind tannins put it in, if you don't want tannins soak it for a few days in aquarium water.
Basic idea is: if its small enough throw it is a boiling pot. If not use the bathtub, and crank the water heater to its max. If you don't mind tannins put it in, if you don't want tannins soak it for a few days in aquarium water.
I scrub it down outside and blast it with the hose, boil it in a pot with a couple tablespoons of salt(to raise the boiling point) for an hour, change the water, and let it sit overnight.
If it's a big thick piece I've also been known to drill someholes in it before boiling it.
If it's a big thick piece I've also been known to drill someholes in it before boiling it.
The peice is about 6 foot long so boiling it is out of the question. Its going into a 125 gallon tank. The tank is sitting in my garage now so i am thinking about filling the tank and just soaking the log in there after scrubbing it down. Would a mixture of bleach and water sterilize the wood>?
ow will it go in a 125 wont it hit the support bars on top going in.i tried a 5 ft longpiece and could not manage to get it in.also just put it in the tub.boil big pots of water then dump the water in the tub.add a lil bleech and salt.but after boiling it wash ot down good with like a power washer and let it dry in the sun.
Some older tanks don't have the center support. My 135 doesn't.Bud_Man_Jr;513168;513168 said:
Instead of boiling water, which takes forever, I find it much easier to go to my water heater (tell everyone not to use any hot water in the house) and turn the temperature up to the highest it will go. This is usually at least 195°, which is shy of 212° boiling temp, but still hot enough. Bleach I found deteriorates wood much faster than wood that has been boiled.
WyldFya;512773; said:
Bottom line:
When I harvest driftwood, I first hose it down with a high-pressure cleaner (carwash). Then, I soak it in saturated salt solution (in the bath tub) for three days (daily fresh). That disinfects it all the way. Then I soak it for a couple of days in daily fresh water to de-salt it.
And off it goes into my tank. Generally, you have to weigh it down. I tie it to a rock with fishing line.
HarleyK