# How to treat wood ?



## flynn (Dec 20, 2005)

I found a big beautiful piece of driftwood on the side of the lake and want to put it in my CA new set up...
The roots were still attached to the sunken tree, so I had to cut it apart. So the back of my piece is freshly cut.
I plan to power wash it, scrub it with a stiff brush, then place it in a big rubber tub and pour boiling water on it. The piece is way too big to be boiled on the stove and no way to fit it in the oven.
Should I leave it in the tub with power heads for a while before placing it in my tank (with the fish) ? If so, for how long ??
Anything else I should/could do to be sure it's safe ?
I'm not a big fan of using bleach, but if I really have to ....
If there is a bit of organic material left in the small holes, can it produce an ammonia spike when put in the tank ?
Thanks !


----------



## flynn (Dec 20, 2005)

I see that there is a thin layer of bark left on the wood ... any problem ?


----------



## flynn (Dec 20, 2005)

OK now most of it is scrubed, but there may be some smaller area of "darker softer stuff" in some hard to reach area ... do you think these may cause any problems ? (meaning organic matter that could cause an ammonia spike ???)
Any thought would be greatly appreciated !
Thanks


----------



## KiDD (Aug 20, 2010)

The fish will pick at the bark and it will get spread around your tank.

Does it float or does it sink.. I would soak it in some bleach water over night just 
to try and kill anything living on it parasites or what not..


----------



## flynn (Dec 20, 2005)

Thanks KiDD.
It sure won't float. It's about 48"x18"x12" and kind of heavy !
Most of the bark came off when pressure washed, it's more the soft dark stuff in the hard to reach areas... but I guess it wouldn't be that bad ...
I would put it in another tank with a few cheap fish (  ) and if they are fine then I could add my bushy nose army ! But the **** thing is too big, it just fit in my main tank !


----------



## KiDD (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm sure it will be fine! good luck


----------



## xxskynxx (Nov 5, 2010)

KiDD said:


> The fish will pick at the bark and it will get spread around your tank.
> 
> Does it float or does it sink.. I would soak it in some bleach water over night just
> to try and kill anything living on it parasites or what not..


 Please do not think about soaking the wood in bleach water. The wood will soak up some of the bleach and it will be transfered to you tank and ultimately your fish. I use diluted whit vinegar on anything that goes in my tank. If you clean out a tank or have to clean your rocks use vinegar. The acidity will kill bacteria and not harm the fish just as long as you rinse it off well. Bleach or anykind of cleaning solution should never come up when talking about fish tanks. Unless you are talking about windex which you can use on the outside. I spray a paper towel first to avoid splattering in the tank. Again please please please DO NOT USE BLEACH!


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Bleach is a pretty commonly used cleaning agent for fish tanks because it evaporates and you can use dechlor to negate any ill effects. Not sure I would feel 100% safe using it on porous items for the reason you mention, but people do and seem to be OK. I suspect that the tiny amounts soaked into the wood that remain after evaporation and dechlor treatment and later may leach out are handled by dechlor added during water changes and beneficial bacteria.


----------



## xxskynxx (Nov 5, 2010)

I still would personally use vinegar. It may work for some people but I just would not risk it. Thats a lot of money that would go down the drain literally if there was an adverse reaction to the bleach.


----------



## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I try to ignore those who are afraid of bleach. They are a pretty inexperienced group or just ignoring the facts on bleach. It's pretty clear that lots of people do use bleach for many things in the tank. If people use it all the time, that's a good indication it is safe. We are not out here routinely killing our fish! If liquid soaks into wood-- it will dry out just as well. If you do a bit of reading on the chlorine in bleach you will find it dissipates in air. All it takes to remove bleach is the same as our Momma has done for our clothes. You rinse it and let it dry. When it sets out in the air until there is no smell left, it is safe to use.


----------



## xxskynxx (Nov 5, 2010)

Hmm because when I bleach my clothes no matter how long they sit they still smell like bleach. And to say I am inexperienced because I perfer not to use bleach is ignorant in itself. Many people choose not to use bleach it is a choice. This does not make them inexperienced. All I am saying is I prefer vinegar. One slip up with bleach could very well kill all your fish. You don't rince it off good enough.. dead fish. Why take that chance when vinegar does the same thing, is more often cheaper, and is safe to use with all animals. Not to mention it is commonly used to get odor out of things. Add it to the wash and get rid of pet odor on pet beds. Use it on bird cages as well, btw with birds it is frowned upon to use bleach. Not to mention after cleaning with vinegar you are not left with a chemical odor. Hey you might as well just go to a fish store and buy some tank cleaner. Again just assuming that those not choosing to use bleach are inexperienced is ridiculous. They way I look at it the people not using bleach have done more research on alternitive methods than those just opting for bleach.


----------



## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Since you have missed the first thirty six times this has been discussed, I won't bother to go into the long story. As I said, I try to ignore your thinking. It still remains true that the trained people like the water companies and DNR use bleach to disinfect and I'm betting you have less than ten years in the hobby.

Get a little time in grade and come back in a few years.


----------



## xxskynxx (Nov 5, 2010)

Nice guess try sixteen years. Like I said ignorant, and you seem to be out just looking for a fight. A normal person would have just agreed that everyone has their opinions and dropped it. So that is what I am going to do. Your opinion=bleach my opinion=vinegar. Have a nice life.


----------



## KiDD (Aug 20, 2010)

opcorn:

It's not worth arguing about... It's what ever you feel is best for you.


----------



## xxskynxx (Nov 5, 2010)

Exactly, thank you kidd.


----------



## flynn (Dec 20, 2005)

No need to fight ! I got your points :thumb:


----------

