Driftwood

[zchauvin]

Hey guys I'm looking to get a piece of wood or two for my tank but I don't like how manzanita is thin. Could I use larger logs and whatnot from around the house or no?


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[camuth8]

Yes. But you do have to let it soak in water and wait for it to get waterlogged. While soaking, it takes the tannins out of the wood. If you have a pot, too, you could boil it for 15 minutes and then soak it. Boiling with get rid of a lot of parasites and whatnot.

[Bud Smith]

Zach - if you want log type driftwood - Malaysian wood is a good choice - it is heavy usually sinks right away and it comes in different shape and sizes. Clean it well and if you do not like the tannins soak it for a few days before putting it in your tank or if you do daily water changes that will keep your water from getting to tea colored from the tannins. I just put some in one of my 75 gal. discus tanks and it works well.

[JmDiscuss]

Can I use used old driftwood that i used from another tank, and if so how would I clean it? Boil it.

[MendoMan]

You answered your own question. As you said "boil it".
Can I use used old driftwood that i used from another tank, and if so how would I clean it? Boil it.

[JmDiscuss]

Thanks, never did that, so I just wanted to make sure I was thinking right

[Tres]

You could cook it in the oven for a bit to sterilize it as well, in case you can't find a large enough pot to boil it in as was the case for me. I'd stick to Manzanita though, and just shop around till you find the right pieces.

[pastry]

Got all my big pieces from a lake nearby. Wood was already weathered and actual driftwood that was dried up from lake being low. I cleaned them up and put them in the tank (tank was empty; bare). Filled it up with 90% water, 10% bleach to soak for a few days (150 gallon tank... big pieces of wood). Repeated that step again. Then soaked in pure water for a few days... repeated that again. Let it all dry in the hot sun. Then put my sand from the beach in there (after cleaning it the same way), put the wood in, and cycled the tank. Put some corydoras and tetras in for "test fish". After a week, I put the discus in. Wood got some white slime on it for a few weeks but easy to suck up with syphon. Eventually went away. I've had the wood in there for years now. Actually itching to re-do it with new wood. Just make sure you watch your water parameters at first and when you're comfortable and have used tetras (great testers... sensitive little buggers) then go forth with discus. Now, just to be on the safe side... "do it at your own risk".

[adapted]

Good advice, Elliot. I've heard of folks soaking wood in bleach and not getting all the chlorine out before introducing it to the tank. I think I would soak mine in a prime bath after bleaching it.

[pastry]

Well, if cycling the tank (w/o fish) then you don't have to worry too much about that. I'm actually trying to figure out how I'm going to do it this next time around though. I don't plan on taking the tank down to do it. May involve some unnecessary risks (but I'm an self-acknowledged idiot sometimes so I'll probably take the risks and end up losing my fish). I have had success a long time ago just throwing wood in a tank with discus already in it but I guess I don't have the kahunas to quite do that again... maybe :p

[Jstaabs]

I am currently soaking some wood I got from the river by me. It was already water logged when I got them. I put it in my 110 that I haven't been using (my old salt tank that I'm turning in to a fresh water tank) but I change the water every three days at 95% and 92 degree water I add kosher salt every time I change the water. https://fbcdn-photos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-0/10308105_10203503225808873_4663376308292822281_n.j pg
This is what it looks like now. Sorry if I hijacked the post

[jazzon]

I would be very careful with introduce random wood into your tank, you might bring some really nasty and hard to kill algae, bacteria or parasite into your tank. some people bake the wood in low heat oven, but that depends on how big the driftwood is.

[shakyone]

I boiled my manzanita in a garbage can. It took two burners on a Coleman stove and two propane torches to get it to as boil. I did about 45 minutes actual boiling time. I then scrubbed it down with a wire brush and soaked it in clear water for about a week changing the water (hot) daily. It turned out great. I have been running a separate filter with charcoal and not seen any coloration of the water.

Paul