Driftwood question

[abcdomo 59]

I want to put the driftwood that I got from that guy the other day in my tank, but I'm a little uneasy about it and maybe it's just me overthinking..Has anyone ever had problems with drift wood? I read an article where this lady couldn't figure out why her fish were dying and it turned out the driftwood was making them sick. Should I just go for it since they do seem to be store bought and have been used. I did soak them several times already so they are ready to go in the tank.

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

Many people use driftwood and have had no issues.

I have heard a few folks say it caused problems.

Not trying to push you one way or the other, but it can be a risk.

[DieselPlower 2,123]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

[Mr. Hyde 5,372]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

How long do you boil for...I hear folks say hours.

[abcdomo 59]

How do I go about boiling them because I don't think I have a big enough pot..Hence why I put them in a tub of water and let them sit in hot water then dump it out and do it again a few times.

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

How long do you boil for...I hear folks say hours.

You keep boiling and replacing the water until it stays clear.

Removing tannins in the wood is important for maintaining a stable PH. Until you don't see any amber coloring in the water anymore, you should keep on boiling the wood. It took 2 weeks of the soaking method to get all of the tannins out of my giant manzanita branch. Just keep on soaking.

Edited June 24, 2014 by ChelseaM

[abcdomo 59]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

How long do you boil for...I hear folks say hours.

You keep boiling and replacing the water until it stays clear.

Removing tannins in the wood is important for maintaining a stable PH. Until you don't see any amber coloring in the water anymore, you should keep on boiling the wood. It took 2 weeks of the soaking method to get all of the tannins out of my giant manzanita branch. Just keep on soaking.

Yea when I first soaked them the water was a yellowish color and then the couple times after that it was pretty clear.

[marka83 127]

The time it takes depends on the wood. I have a piece that took two months of soaking to get the tannis out! Now I have no use for it lol. My plants took over the tank.

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

How long do you boil for...I hear folks say hours.

You keep boiling and replacing the water until it stays clear.

Removing tannins in the wood is important for maintaining a stable PH. Until you don't see any amber coloring in the water anymore, you should keep on boiling the wood. It took 2 weeks of the soaking method to get all of the tannins out of my giant manzanita branch. Just keep on soaking.

Yea when I first soaked them the water was a yellowish color and then the couple times after that it was pretty clear.

Check the PH of the water and compare it to your tap water PH before deciding to add it.

[abcdomo 59]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

How long do you boil for...I hear folks say hours.

You keep boiling and replacing the water until it stays clear.

Removing tannins in the wood is important for maintaining a stable PH. Until you don't see any amber coloring in the water anymore, you should keep on boiling the wood. It took 2 weeks of the soaking method to get all of the tannins out of my giant manzanita branch. Just keep on soaking.

Yea when I first soaked them the water was a yellowish color and then the couple times after that it was pretty clear.

Check the PH of the water and compare it to your tap water PH before deciding to add it.

will do

[abcdomo 59]

how long should I wait before testing the water that the drift wood is in?

[kaylaj2355 464]

I didn't boil a piece, I soaked it but only for about a week xD And that was apparently a mistake! It has been a little over three months now that the tank has been set up and I change the water about every 5 days to keep it clear-ish. It is never fully clear because I never want to change out too much water at a time. I usually do 50% changes. I left it for a week once and it looked like tea! I'm not exaggerating, haha. Lesson learned!

[TikiLola 5,709]

Does it raise or lower ph? I looove the way driftwood looks, but am sooo scared to try it.

[Georgia 3,820]

Does it raise or lower ph? I looove the way driftwood looks, but am sooo scared to try it.

Only when it is releasing tannins does driftwood lower pH. This is why you're supposed to boil it/soak it for a long time, to get all those tannins out of the wood. Once it is done releasing tannins, driftwood is quite inert.

I am a bit nervous to try some one day myself, but if you get a small enough piece, I'm sure it would be fairly risk free, considering you boiled/soaked it properly beforehand.

[TikiLola 5,709]

Does it raise or lower ph? I looove the way driftwood looks, but am sooo scared to try it.

Only when it is releasing tannins does driftwood lower pH. This is why you're supposed to boil it/soak it for a long time, to get all those tannins out of the wood. Once it is done releasing tannins, driftwood is quite inert.

I am a bit nervous to try some one day myself, but if you get a small enough piece, I'm sure it would be fairly risk free, considering you boiled/soaked it properly beforehand.

I was thinking a big piece(s) for my giant anubias. My ph is mostly 7.6, but the kh&gh are ridiculously low.

[BronwynH 1,109]

I would boil them to be sure. I have driftwood in my tanks and they are totally ignored by my bristlenose plecos.

How long do you boil for...I hear folks say hours.

You keep boiling and replacing the water until it stays clear.

Removing tannins in the wood is important for maintaining a stable PH. Until you don't see any amber coloring in the water anymore, you should keep on boiling the wood. It took 2 weeks of the soaking method to get all of the tannins out of my giant manzanita branch. Just keep on soaking.

This!!

And I would definitely make sure you're boiling and not just soaking, especially since they appear to have been used. The boiling water will help eliminate any baddies that may have hitched a ride.

[*Amanda* 556]

Pay attention to the smell when you are boiling it. I thought I had a good piece, but it smelled like DECAY while boiling. I didn't want to take the chance. When I looked at it afterward, I noticed dead barnacles on the wood. I posted about it on here, and was told it should smell like warm wood, but never like decay/rot.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[Daniel 5,668]

To be honest I don't know why people on here are so afraid of driftwood now. For several years when I joined it was used by members readily without trepidation, but I have noticed a drastic decline over the past few years.

Not all wood leaches tannins nor does all wood of the same variety.

[dnalex 13,633]

To be honest I don't know why people on here are so afraid of driftwood now. For several years when I joined it was used by members readily without trepidation, but I have noticed a drastic decline over the past few years.

Not all wood leaches tannins nor does all wood of the same variety.

Excellent point!

[BronwynH 1,109]

To be honest I don't know why people on here are so afraid of driftwood now. For several years when I joined it was used by members readily without trepidation, but I have noticed a drastic decline over the past few years.

Not all wood leaches tannins nor does all wood of the same variety.

Excellent point!

Ditto. I've never been especially worried about the tannins (other than that I don't particularly want to dye my water). Over the years we've had two pieces of driftwood and both times we just did enough of a boil to ensure the wood sank and to get rid of any potential hitchhikers. I enjoy the one piece of driftwood I still have and would put driftwood in a tank again in a heart beat.

[abcdomo 59]

Well I'm going to be putting the piece in today and just keep an eye on everything.

[jenzaar 11,605]

Good luck!

and.....

Pics!