JazzyJeff Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I got some really cool bits of driftwood - I have boiled them 3 times for ~15mins each time... had them soaking in the bath since Sunday (changing the water twice a day) no tannins leaching now but the wood is floating - how long does it take to get it to sink? Is there anything else I can do to speed it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaNs Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Funny that, thats why its called drift wood. Use some weights so it can absorb more water when forced under Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Can I ask you, is this driftwood Light or Dark in Colour?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Can I ask you, is this driftwood Light or Dark in Colour?? Quite a dark colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 me too i've tied rocks onto the bottom of it, hoping if its weighed down for a while it'll sink eventually... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 So boiling it some more won't help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I would chuck it back in the Bath with a couple of heavy objects on top of it, leave it there untill it absorbs enough water so it doesn't float, or do what Hans said and put it in your Tank with weights on it. I've found that the lighter coloured driftwood tends to float, more than the really dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I would chuck it back in the Bath with a couple of heavy objects on top of it, leave it there untill it absorbs enough water so it doesn't float, or do what Hans said and put it in your Tank with weights on it. I've found that the lighter coloured driftwood tends to float, more than the really dark. Well then I am glad it is dark - might try the weights thing - it will look naff but better then taking up the space in the bath. Thanks guys - if anyone can think of any other way to speed things up please let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaVitamins Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I had the same problem with my tank, but i just put rocks on top and left it for about a week, took them off and it stayed under.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 One week... It would be nice if thats all it would take!! Right, my partner has gleefully weighted it down with fishing sinkers. I will give it a week and see if it stays down. Thanks for your input guys - hopefully I will have success cos these are really wikid looking pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I've found that boiling and then cooling seems to help get the moisture deep into the wood. Took me 3-4 attempts plus a few days soaking, but we finally got our bit to sink. Failing all that, buy a suction cup and stick it to the bottom of the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I've found that boiling and then cooling seems to help get the moisture deep into the wood. Took me 3-4 attempts plus a few days soaking, but we finally got our bit to sink. Failing all that, buy a suction cup and stick it to the bottom of the tank A suction cup... now that is thinking outside the square! Thanks Romeo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I've had a piece of wood weighed down un my tank for more than two years - and it still doesn't sink on its own! :roll: It depends on all kinds of variables, like what kind of wood it is, how long it had been out of the water when you found it, how thick the piece is... Currently the wood in my tank is kept down by being tied to rocks. I also have some in a barrel outside weighed down with rocks on top of them. Previously I got some to sink by screwing icecream container lids to them, then lying the lid flat on the bottom glass of the tank and piling the substrate (pebbles) on top of the lid. There are all sorts of techniques people use depending on what they want to achieve and what they have handy to use. Just be aware that you might need to think of a long-term solution because the wood doesn't always co-operate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Good Tip there whetu, thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxglove Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 If you're going to boil the wood again, add baking soda to the water, then after at least fifteen minutes of boiling, plunge the wood into icy cold water. The rapid change forces the air out. I found I needed to boil a jug to keep adding hot water to the pot, as it evaporated over the fifteen minutes, leaving parts of the wood exposed. Mind you, now I have bits of wood too big to boil! :lol: and I may end up siliconing the wood to a slate piece to do the same thing as Whetu's ice cream lid. :lol: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I've heard of a similar technique to Whetu's, siliconing a piece of acrylic to the wood. Of course you have to let it cure for 2 weeks after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smash Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Another way of holding wood down is to drill and tap a couple of stainless steel bolts into the wood then silicone the heads of the bolts to the glass. Works a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 If you're going to boil the wood again, add baking soda to the water, then after at least fifteen minutes of boiling, plunge the wood into icy cold water. The rapid change forces the air out. I found I needed to boil a jug to keep adding hot water to the pot, as it evaporated over the fifteen minutes, leaving parts of the wood exposed. Mind you, now I have bits of wood too big to boil! :lol: and I may end up siliconing the wood to a slate piece to do the same thing as Whetu's ice cream lid. :lol: :bounce: Good tip - I will try that - what does the Baking Soda do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Thort I would post a pic of the offending driftwood looks good without the water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Does boiling get rid of that reddy-brown colour of the wood, or is that just old age? All my wood is rather brightly colour at the moment I never boil it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 That's a very nice piece of wood! :bounce: It's a bit hard to see from the pic how thick the thickest part is - if it's really chunky it can take a looooong time to get the water to penetrate all the way through the thickest part. Personally I would be cautious of boiling it much more because that can weaken the wood and you might find that some of the thinner parts might start breaking down. I would suggest bolting a piece of slate onto the bottom to help it sink permanently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alienara Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 oh boy.... i would actually suggest that you use fishing lines to tie down certain parts of it to rocks that you're gonna put in... otherwise you might even want to try to use mesh over certain parts of the driftwood, weigh it down with rocks and then let moss grow on it? i'm just imagining solutions here, might not work tho so if someone sees any problem with this, you better speak out!!! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 I am surprised that wood has not sunk yet as it looks like the rimu I have in my tank so is good and solid. I believe the baking soda helps dissolve the air bubbles or something so making it sink faster (might have the theory wrong there). Some have tied heavy fishing sinkers to the wood, where they can't be seen. This does not harm the fish either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Awesome looking piece of Driftwood you got there Jazzyjeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted June 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Awesome looking piece of Driftwood you got there Jazzyjeff Fanks Lyndyloo! I was pleased to find it ... actually it's not clear in the pic but there are 4 pieces there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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