Driftwood from local river?

Driftwood from river?

I live in Calgary Alberta Canada and got some drift wood from the Bow River that flows through the city. I have put them in hot water in my tub and am starting to throw in some boiling water. I am going to scrub them with a hard brush to ensure that there is no stuff falling off in the tank. Would this have a bad effect on my axies? I think it will be fine but want to be 100% sure!

also plan on soaking it in dechlorinated water to waterlog it

I would use it.

One more question about it. I got a really cool looking piece but the wood is a little squishy.

Should i rip off the squishy stuff or should it be ok? I just dont want pieces deteriorating in the tank. Also one piece has a little bit of green growth on it and looks really cool. Could I keep that stuff on there cause the boiling water should kill any germs right?

A pressure washer is your best bet when it comes to stripping the mushy sections of wood off. These sections have had either a lignin or cellulose degrading fungi have their way which increases the surface area exponentially, leading to higher quantities of tannins leaching into your water. There is also a good chance with collected wood that a species of fungi living in the wood will actually grow out from the wood, reaching into the water! This is nothing to fear so long as you remove it with your gravel vac periodically before it grows large enough for your axies to have a go at it.

Boiling helps remove tannins, which is awesome, pressure washing works best for removal of partially degraded bits and clingy residents. Try a car wash with pressure washer stalls, it'll cost you less than $2 :ufo: