Jump to content

Drift Wood Question


Recommended Posts

So I have a question I think I already know the answer to, but we will see. I have some drift wood from the sea shore that was soaked in bleach water a few years ago and has been outside of the house since. My question is would that drift wood be safe to put in a aquarium after being soaked in just water to get it water logged 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 9:11 AM, lefty o said:

i would soak it, change the water, soak it, and change the water a few times just to be safe. it likely safe, as im sure its been rained on etc over the years, but you cant be too careful. 

Agree but I would add 10 x prime to the soak to be safe because I’m paranoid 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A search brings up info about white fungus on wood added to tanks--not that it's dangerous, bc fish eat it, but it can be unsightly. I'd be concerned about other fungi on the wood and boil it first, just in case.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 10:26 AM, JoCinWB said:

A search brings up info about white fungus on wood added to tanks--not that it's dangerous, bc fish eat it, but it can be unsightly. I'd be concerned about other fungi on the wood and boil it first, just in case.

 

Mopani wood is famous for it. I've boiled mine for an hour or so and then a day later that fungus still came right back. Guess I didn't boil long enough. Oh well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 7:04 AM, Great Victorian Aquarium said:

So I have a question I think I already know the answer to, but we will see. I have some drift wood from the sea shore that was soaked in bleach water a few years ago and has been outside of the house since. My question is would that drift wood be safe to put in a aquarium after being soaked in just water to get it water logged 

I agree with @lefty o, @Guppysnail I would water log it with a dechlorinator and maybe do a test strip on that waterlog water and repeat if it seems like it needs it but id guess that bleach water is non existent by now and I wouldn't be shocked if you could just waterlog it with dechlorinator and put it in a tank.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 10:25 AM, Great Victorian Aquarium said:

Thank you for your input 😀, I was thinking the same thing. My biggest considered is about the possibility of the salt level and not being able to soak it all out even with it being out in the weather for years.

For salt maybe test the parameters with a test strip before you put the wood in the water and see if the general hardness goes crazy during the waterlogging procedure 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m not sure I can recommend this but I foraged some sun bleached driftwood and didn’t treat it in any way. In the first week some biofilm formed but since then it’s been great. The only problem was that it was bone dry and had a ton of buoyancy. I had to pile a lot of rocks on it to get it to sink. 3300142D-FF01-494A-9221-49607DCB70D0.jpeg.d2a31f8c74496bfcd0bdffe12c5ed064.jpegACE2E917-05CD-4A89-BA5C-4F4A0C68C17D.jpeg.ca820ce8cf2fbc254a68e2f1dccf7a00.jpeg

Edited by Patrick_G
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would wonder how much actual salt has migrated into the wood that has also not been removed from years of rain and weather.

I'd also wonder that -- if there is residual salt inside the wood itself that can't be removed by a surface wash with a garden hose -- how long would that actually take to migrate of the wood, and in what actual quantity, so as to be harmful to freshwater fish? I doubt that would be as much salt as one would use when trying to cure fish illness with aquarium salt.

Water takes a long time to penetrate wood to an appreciable depth. I'd imagine any bleach soak you did years back would not have penetrated enough to not be easily washed away by a full year of rain.

Obviously, better always to take some precautions, rather than throwing precaution to the wind. But it were me, I would not go too far in terms of treating the wood. I would just give it a reasonable rinse/soak with fresh water, scrub it down a little, and then let it dry in the sun. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 12:52 PM, Patrick_G said:

In the first week some biofilm formed but since them it’s been great.

Yeah, I get that especially with spiderwood. The 'white fuzz'!

I get it even if the wood has been in a tank for years, gets removed and dried out, then put in another tank . . . the white fuzz comes back!

I used to get in there and scrapes the wood in an attempt to remove it all. But now I just let it go away on its own. It's ugly as heck for a couple weeks, then clears on its own (and cause critters nibble at it).

Edited by tolstoy21
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 9:55 AM, tolstoy21 said:

Yeah, I get that especially with spiderwood. The 'white fuzz'!

I get it even if the wood has been in a tank for years, gets removed and dried out, then put in another tank . . . the white fuzz comes back!

I used to get in there and scrapes the wood in an attempt to remove it all. But now I just let it go away on its own. It's ugly as heck for a couple weeks, then clears on its own (and cause critters nibble at it).

My clean up crew love that stuff! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...