# Homemade driftwood



## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

is it ok to just go into the woods, get a nice looking piece of wood, clean it off real nice and screw it to a piece of slate?? cause theres woods right accross the street from me and im sure i could find some nice pieces of driftwoods for my tank


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## Naturil (Jan 1, 2007)

I think as long as you boil it really well to get all the tanic acid out but dont quote me on that.


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

so it still needs to be boiled even if your just screwing it on to slate?


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## KILLERLEXUS (Feb 3, 2003)

make sure its not a soft type of wood. because it will get mushy in water. make sure you boil it for a LOOOOOng time. if it gets soft or turn the water dark brown, toss it out.


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

_*Topic Moved to Tank and Equipment Forum*_


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

I could be wrong but I think its best to get it from a local river or lake in and around the banks. Unless you boil and treat with bleach there is a risk of introducing some nasties into your tank. Also all bark should be removed.


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

alright well im gonna be going across into the woods to see what there is. if i find a nice piece, whats the process i have to go through once i bring it in. take off bark, boil it, rinse it (what kind of bleach) and then go to hardware store, buy some slate and some ss screws?


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## KILLERLEXUS (Feb 3, 2003)

if you have to take off the bark, then the wood is not ready for your tank. go to a lake and try to SNAG some wood off the bottom. or go to a river. unless the piece of wood you find in the woods.is light gray , then its not dried out enough.


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

just got back ...found a few pieces in the woods and went to a creek near my house (bout 3ft deep at parts) and pulled some out of there. i also found some rocks in the water that are basically slate so idk if im going to use them but they might make a nice decor either way. anyway im gonna cut the wood and soak it and boil it and see how things go/look


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

alright i cut the one i found in the creek so it can fit my tank. thing is, it floats somehow, not sure how but anyway its currently soaking and ive been pouring boiling water on it for some time so im gonna keep it soaking for a while . also in with it i put the slate to hold it down and to also clean that too. ill keep updates on how things are going and ill take some pics tomorrow. since i should be able to sell my two red bellies by the end of the week, im going to put the wood in afterwards and test the water parameters after a few days to make sure its all good.


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## zippa (Apr 29, 2005)

No more than what actual driftwood cost I would just buy some...Yes you can find driftwood near rivers or lakes that has been in the water for long periods of time...Using wood you just find in the woods comes with risk..It takes a long time for all of the sap and tanins to leech out.


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

here are some pictures of the stuff i brought in...

the two pieces of wood and rock soaking in the sink:








a piece of dead tree branch i found in the woods:








Piece of wood i found in the creek:








the two rocks/slates:








most likely i am going to use the one i found in the creek and screw it into the smaller piece of slate


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## KILLERLEXUS (Feb 3, 2003)

those dont look like they are old enough., looks like still have sap and tannins with in it. try to find wood with out the bark. because if bark is still on, that means tree is still rotting.


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## matc (Jul 31, 2004)

Yeah don't use that wood it's too fresh. Your best place to get some is near a river or a lake. Pieces found on the ground are generally not suitable, you really need to get them in the water or just beside a river/lake


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

matc said:


> Yeah don't use that wood it's too fresh. Your best place to get some is near a river or a lake. Pieces found on the ground are generally not suitable, you really need to get them in the water or just beside a river/lake


the one pictured i did find IN the creek. it has no bark on it at all and the pictures were taken while they were soaking which is why they look that way. if i let them dry out, theyd look different


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## Brian5150 (Oct 17, 2006)

That wood looks like it could have broke off a tree a month ago. I would'nt use it. Driftwood has the name driftwood because its found in rivers, ponds and other bodies of water where it sat and was washed against rocks other wood or the shore for a long time drifting with waves back and forth until the bark has been rubbed off and its turned into a petrified light grayish color. Go to a lake or some body of water near your house bring a saw and walk the shore, thats the place you'll find driftwood. Broken pieces found in a woods is broken pieces found in a woods not driftwood.


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## ReBoot (Oct 31, 2006)

Yeah, don't use that wood, I've done a little research on this. Wood that doesn't come from rivers and such, like from regular land trees have way too many impurities in them. The constant movement of water over a piece of driftwood allows things to "leech" out of the wood, such as possible worms, nitrates, and many other things. If you really did want to use that wood, it would need to be cooked at 450 degrees or higher for a very long time then boiled, and sun dried for about 2 weeks.



KILLERLEXUS said:


> make sure its not a soft type of wood. because it will get mushy in water. make sure you boil it for a LOOOOOng time. if it gets soft or turn the water dark brown, toss it out.


All wood is mushy if its still got "life" to it, any dead wood is firm and extremely hard, especially after properly being sun dried. Also turning the water brown is from natural tannins being released. Natural tannins actually help the water, soften the water, balance pH, and helps to make the water slightly amber in color for fish.

My dad actually is sending me driftwood for my new 135 from Florida, if I get extra pieces I'll post pics and maybe send them out to people who need\want them. (If he sends me that much at all.)


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

i dotn understand though, the one piece was found in the creek with running water over it. all the bark was gone so it had to be in there for at least a little while. the other piece i probably wont even use anyway since i only need one piece. i was just going to use the one from the creek. there doesnt seem to be anything wrong with it


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## ReBoot (Oct 31, 2006)

Well then my suggestion would be this: First - take a wire brush, and scrub it really good. Second - Place it in the over at about 450 degrees - remove before it burns. Third - Boil it for about 4 - 5 hours of time. Last - Sun dry it in a hot sun for 3 - 5 days. That way you can be sure any impurities are gone and it should be aquarium ready.

You can take the gamble of putting it in your tank if you want, I can't stop you from doing that, I'm only stating stuff I would do before conteplating putting a piece of driftwood I gathered into my aquarium. It's like fire, you may not get burned the first time, but the more you play with it, eventually your going to get burned.


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

RohmOwner17928 said:


> Well then my suggestion would be this: First - take a wire brush, and scrub it really good. Second - Place it in the over at about 450 degrees - remove before it burns. Third - Boil it for about 4 - 5 hours of time. Last - Sun dry it in a hot sun for 3 - 5 days. That way you can be sure any impurities are gone and it should be aquarium ready.
> 
> You can take the gamble of putting it in your tank if you want, I can't stop you from doing that, I'm only stating stuff I would do before conteplating putting a piece of driftwood I gathered into my aquarium. It's like fire, you may not get burned the first time, but the more you play with it, eventually your going to get burned.


thanks for the suggestions.. im not going to put it in (once its done) in a tank with fish right away (unless theyre feeders). im gonna put it in a quarantine tank for about a week check the params and see how everything looks . ill probably put a couple tetras in there to see how they hold to the driftwood


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

what's the best way to clean the wood and stones? i know boiling is a good idea but it doesnt fit in a pot so i had to pour the boiling water on it --long process. i read somewhere that adding hyrdrogen peroxide to the water when soaking helps clean it but i wasn't sure if anyone has tried that before


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

alright well for the past few days i have had a few feeder guppies and a barb in my extra 10 gallon. checked the params last night and all was well. so today i put the piece of driftwood in to see the effect it would have with fish in there. im going to check the params tomorrow as well. and ill let you guys know if it worked or if it had a drastic effect and/or killed any fish


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

k well the next day one feeder guppy died, but that could just be because its a rosey red. the other 2 are still fine and so is the barb. i took a sample of the water to my lfs to get checked and nitrates are up a small amount and ph is around 7.6 i think...im not exactly sure. but this weekend im going to do a 40% water change in the tank and get it tested about 4 days after that to see how it is. i drilled a hole in the slate and used a stainless steel screw to hold the two together and it looks great. it takes some time and patience, but it looks like this is going to work out pretty well...

this is a picture of it soaking in the temp tank:


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## RedRazor (Mar 8, 2007)

I dont think that is a good idea. I may be wrong, but I believe it will start to rot in your tank. I will have some actaul driftwood for sale again come spring.


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## Wussola (Jan 25, 2006)

Yes I agree with above. I would definitely not use wood gathered on land. Not sure where you are from, but I would wait for spring or summer and go snorkling in a lake and find some drift wood that has already been under water for some time.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

lol snorkling thats fun


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

Wussola said:


> Yes I agree with above. I would definitely not use wood gathered on land. Not sure where you are from, but I would wait for spring or summer and go snorkling in a lake and find some drift wood that has already been under water for some time.


i didnt gather it on land, it was in a creek and it musta been there a while cause it wasnt floating


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

then it shoulda already been water logged


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

coutl said:


> then it shoulda already been water logged


well when i took it out of the creek it was in an empty bucket for an hour or so but i had to boil it anyway and everything. im sure it would stay at the bottom on its own now, but it's easier with the slate to do what i want to do with it


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