axokeeper Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Just wondering if you can go and find your own driftwood or is is best to buy it?? And if you do find your own, how do you make it 'safe' for your tank? And does it dirty the water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I've used both drift wood from the beach, and swamp wood off several farms and never had any probs. The drift wood seems to sink reasonably quickly and may slightly tinge the water but after a few water changes clears up. The swamp wood seems to take a lot longer to sink and can leach and make the water go tea colored, which isn't a problem if you have a Amazon biotope I guess. You really need to soak it for several months, but I never have. Our latest driftwood is Macrocarpa and hasn't leached at all but after about 3 months it still isn't sinking......hmmmph. I guess if you get swamp wood from a peat paddock it may cause your PH to drop, though I'm not positive about that, I'm sure someone here would be able to clear that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axokeeper Posted September 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 So I am guessing I should just cough up and buy some then :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 yes you can go and get your own driftwood. for treating some people boil it or pour boiling water over it, i just rince it and give it a quick scrub to remove any dirt and mud. but it can be hard to find that perfect bit of driftwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 All my driftwood was gathered from the beach. I just gave it a bit of a scrub, rinsed it, then added it to the tank. Never had a problem (so far) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 no time, lots of money = buy it spare time, saving money = find it finding it also gets you outdoors and can be an interesting afternoon walk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 like yesterday i went into the waitaks and found a small puddle that had about 5 bullies (i think) of some description swimming around in it, ok it was a little bigger than a puddle, more like a tiny trickling stream, and it was right next to the track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I'm still waiting for the driftwood I found on the beach to sink.... Its been in the laundry sink covered with water and weighted down with water-filled buckets and still pops up to the surface when I move the buckets. I have 2 different types and neither will sink Its been like that for weeks...how long does it normally take? How do you know if u have collected unsinklable wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatfish Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I use a lot of 'bogwood' as my Plecos (Panaques) eat a lot of it. I've used both shop brought and locally collected pieces. I always boil it before using it, particularly if I've collected it in freshwater as there may be small undesirable critters on it. If it looks dirty I scrub it before boiling it. I always go for the dark coloured hard 'bogwood' (I'm told its mostly native hardwoods) if I'm collecting it, as its dense, looks great, lasts a long time, and sinks relatively quickly. Bogwood will leach tannins for quite a while which will make the water go tea-coloured. Eventually it will stop leaching but aside from reducing the visibility a little in tank the fish seem to like it (mine are mostly Amazonian). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I agree with flatfish. The dark, heavy stuff is usually already waterlogged. I have not yet had one that leached (lucky me). The wood I collected was also right near the waterline and obviously still wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I'm still waiting for the driftwood I found on the beach to sink.... Its been in the laundry sink covered with water and weighted down with water-filled buckets and still pops up to the surface when I move the buckets. I have 2 different types and neither will sink Its been like that for weeks...how long does it normally take? How do you know if u have collected unsinklable wood? I bought a large piece of wood off trademe several years ago. The woman said she had had it in a pond originally, but it had been out of the pond sitting on her lawn for a few months. She said when it was in the pond it had stayed completely submerged on its own. I have been soaking it for about five years now and IT STILL HASN'T SUNK!! :evil: :roll: Originally I put it in a bath of very hot water, weighed it down with some rocks, and changed the water repeatedly. I also scrubbed it with a wire brush as it was a bit muddy. Then I put it in my tank with rocks on it, but it was so buoyant (sp?) that it kept throwing off the rocks and shooting to the surface! (In a glass tank with glass covers this is a pretty nerve-wracking event.) So then I tied the rocks to it with fishing nylon. When I moved about a year later I thought surely it will sink on its own, so I untied the rocks. Nope! Still floating! But at least I could just stack rocks on it by now and be reasonably sure it would stay down. Next time I moved (about 18 months later) I screwed the lid of a plastic ice-cream container to the bottom of the wood and piled aquarium gravel and rocks on the lid. It stayed that way for another 18 months. Unfortunately the tank had an outbreak of BBAlgae so when I moved to the flat where I live now, I broke down the tank and boiled and scrubbed everything. The driftwood got boiled, scrubbed and microwaved. At that stage I didn't put it back in the tank. Instead I filled a large plastic drum with water outside and the wood has been in there (with rocks on it) for about a year. Now when I take the rocks off it stays about 3/4 submerged. THAT'S PROGRESS! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Whetu, you always have the funniest stories I might just chuck mine out on the front landscaping...I have much less patience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr McFish Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I would get drift wood from the beach as theres more selection there. Also because that stuff from the shop looks real boring and all looks the same. Then the cost is like $30 for a small bit. It is more rewarding finding your own bit on the beach than just buying a bit from the shop. I dont worry about cleaning unless it looks dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 And it all turns brown/red in the tank eventually anyway so it doesn't matter if it starts off or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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