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Hi. How long does a 60cm x 30cm long log need to be soaked before it's considered as driftwood suitable for my 26 gallon guppy tank?

Does it need to be dried too?

Driftwood does need to be dry, as some of the saps and oils in some woods are toxic to fishies.

If you just lopped a branch off a tree, you might as well widdle it into a work of art, it'll take forever and a day to dry out to the point you can use it in your tank.

There are many places that sell driftwood already dried out and are aquarium safe

Is this driftwood you found, or is this actually a branch taken from a tree? It really will take a long time for a fresh piece of wood to dry out enough. If this is driftwood you found at a beach, lake or something, the main thing is going to be boiling it to get it clean. I generally boil mine for a couple of hours, and scrub it (just with water and a clean scrub brush) before and after to get any extra dirt and such off of it.

Most of the wood from the pet store would be a better idea though. Some wood naturally sinks, and some needs a little coaxing to go to the bottom as it wants to float. The ones from the lfs come with slate attached to the bottom to help keep it from floating, if it is not a piece that will sink on it's own.

Once you have the driftwood in your tank, there are so many wonderful possibilities with attaching live plants if you have any interest in that.

I got the driftwood from ebay - apparently from a tank, but it looks like it was never dried. Not sure to use it or not in my aquarium tank. It's releasing tannin still. I should boil it for a bit first.

Maybe I should repost my big bogwood article for everyone to read

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

If it came from a tank then chances are it still has moisture from the tank. I WOULD boil it no matter if it came from a tank, or the middle of a bog, or right off the beach. You never know what nasties you could be bringing into your tank otherwise. Generally (not sure who all does or does not do this, but...) I add some salt to the water I am boiling it in to kill off any of the above mentioned nasties to the very fullest extent (yes, I know that boiling for hours will do that too). Boiling will also help get rid of the tannins issue. After the boiling, you can also leave it soaking in a tub of water for a couple of weeks before adding it just to make sure. I hope we helped some. I am certain Cali's article is VERY informative as well if he reposts it for you.

I'd be interested in reading Cali's article!

Wel, well, what have we here ....

Ta-daaahh!

This should tell you what you need to know about bogwood

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002