Where do you get your driftwood?

[eldaldo]

I would like to get some wood for my aquariums because it looks really cool. A sunken branch would be cool, but so would a floating one that I could put java moss and hornwort on. Where does everyone get their wood. I have seen driftwood for sale online, it is kinda expensive and I feel like you don't really get to see enough of it to know if it would be a good fit.

a long time ago I asked about driftwood and I recall Jen saying you could just get it in the woods if you boil it first to sterilize it. Has anyone actually done this? How did it turn out?

 

[tomthlee]

I got mine from the woods. I first rinsed it off with very hot water and then stuck it in the freezer. It's doing great now in my newt tank with java moss attached to it. By nature it floats but I sunk it by tying it down to a rock.

 

[JWERNER]

I get mine from outside to. I find the best spots to look are in the washed up areas of wood after a storm. You know, the areas that look like a big rats nest where all the logs and sticks clump together. I rinse it with hot water but I dont freeze it. I put it in the oven at 200 for a bit of time but I make sure it dont catch on fire ( put alot of stuff in the oven, even headlights if I need to open them up ). Then I cure it and kinda seed it by putting it in a big 55G sterilite tub with a submersable dueto filter for a week maybe 2.

 

[CarlNJen]

You can find plenty of it some the woods. Failing that from most aquatics stores.
Although, like Tom Lee says above, be sure to clean it thoroughly a few times (Even if its from an aquatics store) using VERY hot water and also stick it in the freezer aswel. Such extreme temperatures should kill off all the parasites and any bacteria in the wood!

Good luck!

Carl

 

[JWERNER]

FYI freezing it wont kill most of the stuff on it but cause some of it to go dormant and any cysts or eggs will sometimes survive.

 

[CarlNJen]

I think I should review some of my books...hmmm....

I was under the impression that if you use boiling water to begin with that would kill off most the eggs and stuff? and the Freezing is just to destroy any stubborn bacteria.

I'll take your tips from above! Thanks!

 

[JWERNER]

You left out the boiling part. That might work if it dont destroy the wood. A old guy at a show told me once that if you cure it like I do but put a aquarium heater turned up all the way for a month it will kill everything as well. Seeing on how the wood is picked out localy any thing bad wont survive in temps of that beeing like trpoical aquarium water. I never did this so I dont know how true it is.

 

[JWERNER]

It also depends on the size if its small you can boil it but I rarely ever used any small pieces and if you boil it make sure its not weak in that it will just break up from the boiling process.. You also need to make sure you don't get bad types of wood like cedar and pine that will release oils and kill your animals.

 

[CarlNJen]

Noted! - I'll take that onboard when I get my tank for the alpine's set up!
A bit of driftwood always looks nice!

Cheers JWERNER!

 

[JWERNER]

Just don't go above 350. I usually don't go more than 250. There are lots of ways but most others take some time so it is up to you. Another that I hear is a good way is to just soak it in....the "SUN". This takes weeks and I don't trust this as I'm not sure but I would imagine it wont actually sterilize it but kill everything eventually that naturally lives in water, but then I would imagine that bacterias and such that are terrestrial or what have you would take to anything dying causing a endless cycle. Putting it in your tank afterwords would most likely then kill these guys but it may mess with the water clarity. I may be wrong but I still think I would rather bake it and toss it right in a curing tub and make sure to do daily water changes..

I need a coffee sorry for any miss spelling and poor punctuation.

 

[eldaldo]

yeah, heat is probably the best way to sterilize it. Most DNA and proteins denature at close to boiling temperatures, and if you can boil it, even better. I am cooking a peice of wood I picked up yesterday in the oven right now. I soaked it in water for a day so that it wouldn't burn and to try and to kill stuff as deep in the wood as possible.