Question about algae survivability

So I read this in one of the Beginner stickies and it got me thinking:

Food Collecting on All Surfaces in the Tank-- Another form of biomass occurs when suspended organic material in the water column collects on everything in the tank including walls, bottom, decorative items (artificial plants, rocks, etc..) and everything else in the tank. This form of biomass is different than gravel substrate because water circulation is available to allow the organic material to decompose. Control of this biomass is accomplished by removing the decorative items and cleaning them outside the tank, and then wiping the sides and bottom of the tank clean. This loosens the biomass and places it in suspension where water changes remove it from the tank. A pretty good test for assessing this biomass on decorative items is what I call the "sniff" test. Remove the item from the tank and place it close to the nose, a biomass will exhibit a foul odor. This test can be used as a pretty good indication of how often it should be cleaned. My recommendation for cleaning decorative items is to place them in a bucket and add a 8 to 1 mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide (3%). Hydrogen peroxide can be purchased in the Wal-mart pharmacy for under $1 per quart. It is non toxic and can be rinsed off after letting it set overnight in the bucket. Does a wonderful job of removing algae. My recommendation is to clean this form of biomass not less ten days for adult discus, and more often for juveniles.

If I have a piece of driftwood covered with algae and take it out of the tank, then leave it out of the tank for a month to dry off, does all that algae/biomass die or decompose? Am I more or less sterilizing it from any more biomass on it?

Place the driftwood in a pot filled with boiling water. Keep the driftwood boiling for 1-2 hours. You may need to refill the water as it boils away.

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Originally Posted by seanyuki

Place the driftwood in a pot filled with boiling water. Keep the driftwood boiling for 1-2 hours. You may need to refill the water as it boils away.

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I don't have a 4 ft diameter pot. I'm not a witch. 😉

I'm not asking about sterilization techniques. My question is about air drying killing water-living nasties in our aquariums.

I'm not an expert but to my mind certain types of algae are "Good algae". Yes, in and on certain things in a tank
they are unsightly but not bad. In fact there is a filter system called an algae scrubber use to purify water.
The biomass that is "bad" would be a collection of slime,poop, and food in the tank.
Jay

When dried out algae will come back out of dormancy if light and water is available. Is that your question?

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Originally Posted by Oxboy

Is it possible to treat driftwood for deeply engrained algae (5 years)? I'm trying to do some research on algae survivability and write my essay on its biomass characteristics.

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Hi,

I've 2 pieces of Malaysian driftwood in my tank (they have been there for nearly 3 years).
I would do temperature procedures first (dry out, let it bake, freeze it, etc.) before harsh chemicals. HCl or H2O2, I suppose.

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Originally Posted by Oxboy

...If I have a piece of driftwood covered with algae and take it out of the tank, then leave it out of the tank for a month to dry off, does all that algae/biomass die or decompose? Am I more or less sterilizing it from any more biomass on it?

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Yes, the algae will dry out and die off. It will not decompose until you put it back in the water, nor does algae have a dormancy stage. Note that if your driftwood fully dries out, it may float again when you put it back in the tank. You should scrub the driftwood to get rid of the algae on the outside, or it may decompose and foul your water.