# How to prepare large driftwood?



## eddy (Jan 16, 2009)

I came across this piece the other day and it is going to be the centerpiece in the 180 I am setting up.

Any secrets on preparing a piece this big? It is 4 feet long.


----------



## drungil14 (Jan 11, 2009)

Scrub it with hot water and a stiff brush.


----------



## bignewf2092 (Sep 8, 2009)

put in a bathtub or a bucket big enough fill it mostly with hot water and pour boiling water over it. that is what i do with my large pieces


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

They look fairly clean as far as leaves, dirt, algae, etc goes...

Soaking in salt water helps "cure" them. By cure I simply mean it makes them break down slower and therefore last longer... it also helps kill any fungus, mold, mildew, parasites, etc that may be in/on it...

Soaking in hot water or boiling helps remove the 'tannins' which is what makes the water tea colored. I'm guessing you included the pot in the pic to discourag eus from suggesting you boil it 

Soaking it in the bathtub is a good suggestion. I would fill the tub up with the hottest water possible... dose with salt (salt is cheap, use lots)... add the wood and a powerhead overnight...

Then spend as much time as you like soaking in the hottest water practical. Change the water often. When the water stops turning tea colored or you get sick of doing this... add it to the tank...

If it turns the water in the tank tea colored use charcoal to counter the effect...


----------



## eddy (Jan 16, 2009)

Toby_H said:


> They look fairly clean as far as leaves, dirt, algae, etc goes...
> 
> Soaking in salt water helps "cure" them. By cure I simply mean it makes them break down slower and therefore last longer... it also helps kill any fungus, mold, mildew, parasites, etc that may be in/on it...
> 
> ...


 Yeah I just can't come up with a way to boil it at all which is what I usually do even with big pieces one end at a time but this piece is just over the top.

I have used the bath tub before but my wife frowns on it. We do have a guest bathroom though and she might just have to get over it.

Do you think soap in the lines at a car wash would be a problem? I would like to start by blasting it off but I'm afraid even after I run the soap out there would still be some coming through.

It actually is very clean like you said. I'm sure there is some stuff up in the cracks etc. but I mostly just want to get as much tannin out as possible. It really doesn't look like it will even release to much as it is actually drift wood and not just dead wood.


----------



## aussy612 (Jan 31, 2009)

I had no problems with my locally collected driftwood. It had been underwater for half a century . All i did was give it a really good powerwashing, float it in the pool overnight (or just soak it), and give it another good powerwashing in the morning, then cut it to size and add it to the tank. I'm sure you wont have many problems with it, and the tannins make a really nice effect.


----------



## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

+1 on using a pressure washer first.


----------



## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm sure you were looking for ideas on cleaning it but there is opportunity here to do more. That hunk of wood is going to want to float for a long time. :x Depending on tools at hand, it might be a good time to cut out the amount of wood/ flotation you are working with. I had a chainsaw and power tools so did a major surgery on my tree stump before adding it. There will be one side down and in nature these things are most often half buried so that gives us a side to cut off and work on the interior. Not required of course, but it might save a bunch of question on how long it will float if you cut a bunch out of the middle and then fill it with rock, cement, etc. I had limestone and also masonry bits to drill so I used plastic tie wraps to hold rock inside out of sight. While chewing around on the inside, I made a number of holes and hollowed it out to make caves for any fish that chose to enter. Right now nobody is interested but I find it a good place to stick a hose to flush the inside grung out for pickup. Every handfull of wood that you remove will be that much less to float later. :roll: Other than what has been mentioned, I think there is way too much worry about what is in the log to poison fish. With some rather more frequent water changes, I feel like it is quite safe to add to a tank. Assuming it has dried thoroughly now, my thinking is what is alive now does not live long under water. :?


----------



## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

good point. On a small stump I wanted to use, I drilled out the inside and it had great caves for the fish. I attached rocks to the bottom to sink it, so the wood sitting higher than the flat rocks made even more caves.


----------



## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

Unless you attach a rock to it, be prepared for a long wait. My piece took 1/2 a year to sink and that was after a bunch of runs in the dishwasher on the hottest setting.


----------



## amazonfriend (Aug 15, 2006)

I have a new large piece we picked up today.
I was glad to find this post.

BTW - putting it in the dishwasher is an easy great idea! but mine won't fit. Guess I will be doing it in the bathtub after a serious pressure washing!!!!

opcorn: great info, thanx :thumb:

:fish:


----------



## amazonfriend (Aug 15, 2006)

my awesome new wood - won't fit in the tub for boiling or water soaking with salt

we pressure washed it, it is clean.... I guess I go ahead and put it in the tank.

I live in the coastal SC area, it came from one of our local lakes. the wood is Not Pine.

Wise Aquarist Thoughts......


----------

