yeah i could see that. what about putting them in the oven to kill parasites / fungus ect. i feel like i herd that somewhere before, but have no idea what temperature, for how long or anything about it. as far as sinking floating pieces...is there something i could drill into the wood an insert it to sink it, that wouldnt be metal or toxic to the fish?
'wild' driftwood questions
- Thread starter freebyrd
- Start date
knox_rbp;4390410; said:
I've had that same problem before with a few larger pieces as well... so to the OP sometimes all you can do is wait for it to sink...
clgkag;4390594; said:
Another method is to bake it in the oven... although you'd need a pretty large oven for some of the larger pieces, but if its a normal sized piece you could use this method to kill off any potential parasites etc...
duipo;4390417; said:
to my knowledge Hardwoods good, softwood rots.
always boil the thing before you add it to your tank.
As suggested on another thread on driftwood I tried curing outside in dark colored plastic rubbermaid containers set in the sun but and it was working but my dogs kept fishing it out and grawing on it (I even weighed down the lid and they still got to the wood, something delicious in the forbidden I guess). I gave up that idea but might work for you.
Anyways, if you cure it in aquarium the tannins take awhile to accumulate and you fish won't mind the extra water changes to clarify the water. +1 for boiling it first.
Anyways, if you cure it in aquarium the tannins take awhile to accumulate and you fish won't mind the extra water changes to clarify the water. +1 for boiling it first.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=350394
i found all of my pieces if they fit in a pot boil them to get rid of all the bacteria that deteriorates the wood then soak them in salt water (make sure the salt is all natural free salt no iodine none of that stuff that prevents clumping. this will disinfect more then soak in fresh water change the water every time it starts to look like wood tea keep soaking until the tanins are all gone. I purposely picked my wood that was bleached by the sun I had almost no tannins I am now rinsing it in fresh water
i found all of my pieces if they fit in a pot boil them to get rid of all the bacteria that deteriorates the wood then soak them in salt water (make sure the salt is all natural free salt no iodine none of that stuff that prevents clumping. this will disinfect more then soak in fresh water change the water every time it starts to look like wood tea keep soaking until the tanins are all gone. I purposely picked my wood that was bleached by the sun I had almost no tannins I am now rinsing it in fresh water
I have a couple big pieces soaking outside. They've been in my neighbors front yard as decoration for years. Dry as can be. Its been about five days. ive never tried soaking before, is it supposed to smell a little funky? Or do I toss this wood?
Is it a rotting smell or a fresh tree type of smell. Sometimes it takes a while for the tannins and other sap substances to get cleared out of the wood. Boiling works well, I also tried leaving it in a bucket with the hose turned on very slightly to have a continuous water change, but that waste a lot of water. Luckily for me it was going into a Lo'i that could use all the water.
My understanding on driftwood is not all types of wood are good for tanks. I'm not sure which types but if it has a natural aroma it's no good. Like cedar...I think.
i would not say all types of wood are good. i would stay away form coniferous trees they have a lot of sap and i do think they contain arsenic as well many other things, that is why they are not used to smoke meats or anything like that. walnut is a hard wood that has poison, that is why nothing grows under them. i have herd most hard woods are fine
My piece that i found took a long time to sink, i got fed up and tied rocks to them. the tannins are not to bad off the piece i found but the stuff i bought from the pets store still lets off a lot and it is over a year old.
If they stink look for the rot to remove
My piece that i found took a long time to sink, i got fed up and tied rocks to them. the tannins are not to bad off the piece i found but the stuff i bought from the pets store still lets off a lot and it is over a year old.
If they stink look for the rot to remove
