Ralph
12-29-2002, 08:57 PM
Found the perfect piece of driftwood? Now what?
If the water you found it in is not poluted (if it is, leave it there), how can you make it harmless to the fish in your aquarium? It probably doesn't need anything done to it, unless you live in the tropics. Most cold water organisms don't transfer well to a heated discus tank. And parasites are almost always very species specific (a trout tapeworm would be harmless to a discus). But the reality is that we all feel much better cleaning up the driftwood before it goes in the tank, so here are a few suggestions.
If you can, boil it. Nothing living can survive boiling water. Boil it for 10 to 15 minutes. It also takes out much of the tannins, so if you don't like the tea colored water, this is perfect. It will also make the wood sink faster.
Every piece that I have found is too big for any pot that I have. The alternative to boiling is to put the wood in your bathtub (or outside) and pour boiling water on the wood. Be sure to get both sides of the wood and focus on any crevices.
A less time consuming method is to spray the driftwood with a bleach solution. A 10% bleach to water solution will kill anything on the wood. It is very important to rinse the wood thoroughly after the bleach though, until it doesn't smell like bleach anymore.
A somewhat less reliable method is to just leave the driftwood in the sun for a week or two. Just drying it out will kill most of the living organisms. I've heard that professional driftwood suppliers soak the wood in shallow tubs in the sun. This helps the rid the wood of bad stuff as well as speeding up the sinking process.
Stay away from any freshly cut wood, the sap seeps out into the water making a real mess (I know because I tried it once).
If you have something that works for you, feel free to post it here.
If the water you found it in is not poluted (if it is, leave it there), how can you make it harmless to the fish in your aquarium? It probably doesn't need anything done to it, unless you live in the tropics. Most cold water organisms don't transfer well to a heated discus tank. And parasites are almost always very species specific (a trout tapeworm would be harmless to a discus). But the reality is that we all feel much better cleaning up the driftwood before it goes in the tank, so here are a few suggestions.
If you can, boil it. Nothing living can survive boiling water. Boil it for 10 to 15 minutes. It also takes out much of the tannins, so if you don't like the tea colored water, this is perfect. It will also make the wood sink faster.
Every piece that I have found is too big for any pot that I have. The alternative to boiling is to put the wood in your bathtub (or outside) and pour boiling water on the wood. Be sure to get both sides of the wood and focus on any crevices.
A less time consuming method is to spray the driftwood with a bleach solution. A 10% bleach to water solution will kill anything on the wood. It is very important to rinse the wood thoroughly after the bleach though, until it doesn't smell like bleach anymore.
A somewhat less reliable method is to just leave the driftwood in the sun for a week or two. Just drying it out will kill most of the living organisms. I've heard that professional driftwood suppliers soak the wood in shallow tubs in the sun. This helps the rid the wood of bad stuff as well as speeding up the sinking process.
Stay away from any freshly cut wood, the sap seeps out into the water making a real mess (I know because I tried it once).
If you have something that works for you, feel free to post it here.