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	Driftwood
Anti Fishman Banned Posts: 478 Kudos: 402 Votes: 0 Registered: 11-Apr-2004	How about driftwood from a beach or something, would the be bad? I was thinking if I would boil it, it would be ok to use. It would only be a small piece though, no more than a foot.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
MDB Enthusiast Posts: 168 Kudos: 80 Votes: 0 Registered: 10-Jul-2003	if it is true drift wood then it will be good. However wherever it comes from especially from a beach (think of all the crap they pump into the sea) make sure you boil the hell out of it. With lfs bought driftwood I boil it outside for 48 hours, this should be about right. hope this helps
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Anti Fishman Banned Posts: 478 Kudos: 402 Votes: 0 Registered: 11-Apr-2004	How do you boil it outside?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Falstaf Fish Addict Posts: 785 Kudos: 1211 Votes: 196 Registered: 12-Feb-2004	i boil it in my kitchen for not less than 8 hours, but then again i'm a little paranoid i just keep refiling and changeing the water. you can boil them on a tin bucket, or metal bucket and on a gas BBQ grill or something i don't know they call it
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
R0B Fish Addict Posts: 712 Kudos: 62 Votes: 5 Registered: 04-Jun-2002	How do you boil it outside? With a gas Turkey frier or somthing along those lines. If you have a Large OLD pot you could build a small little fire under it. Not knowing your age a little supevision would not hurt.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Anti Fishman Banned Posts: 478 Kudos: 402 Votes: 0 Registered: 11-Apr-2004	Yeah, I'm 14 and I am not sure if I can boil it outside. We have an outdoor stove that I may be able to use. I may just end up doing it inside if it is a small piece.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	With some driftwood that I got from the shore, I just scrubbed the hell out of it with hot water from the faucet and then sanded off the outer layer until it was clean. I then soaked it outside for about two weeks before putting it in my tank. I had it in my tank for about a month, and had no ill effects from it. I took it out after a while however, because I could not get it to sink. BTW: I got it from the San Francisco Bay, which is quite possibly some of the dirtiest water in the world. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Anti Fishman Banned Posts: 478 Kudos: 402 Votes: 0 Registered: 11-Apr-2004	So would I really have to sand some of it off? Also, isn't there a way to get it to sink?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
puffer_archer Enthusiast Posts: 288 Kudos: 250 Votes: 4 Registered: 20-Jul-2004	It generally takes driftwood a long time, months, to sink. Weight it down with something, a decoration or such. It took my driftwood about 4 months to become water logged enough to not float.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
iltat Mega Fish Posts: 1076 Kudos: 1216 Votes: 0 Registered: 14-Oct-2002	I actually buried an entire half of my driftwood for approximately 6 months before I was positive that it would stay sunk. It's possible that it didn't take that long for it to be completely water-logged, but I just became fond of the setup... PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Babelfish Administrator Small Fry with Ketchup Posts: 6833 Kudos: 8324 Votes: 1570 Registered: 17-Apr-2003	isn't there a way to get it to sink? Alot of the time it depends on the wood. Some just do sink easier than others. Hot water (there's of course debate about using too much boiling water as it does lead to breakdown of cell walls, thereby breaking down the wood itself) will allow the pours of the wood to expand allowing it to absorb water and leech tannins faster. Depending on where you get your wood from, and how paranoid you are, you may want to boil for awhile and or bake it carefully (don't let it burn! ) to kill any buggers, then soak in hot water changing it each time the water begins to cool. ^_^
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27


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