Can I put driftwood from a freshwater shore in my 70 gal. tank without contaminating the water?

Answer 1

Yes - boil the wood first. (Then cool it).

Some people then soak it in a bucket for a few days in clean fresh water. Change this water a few times over a few day period, say 5 to 7.

It will then be safe to put in your tank.

Also, don't put reptile wood pieces in aquaria. Get new wood...

Answer 2

That can be a dangerous thing to do. Anything that can leech into the wood from the water, like pesticides, oil, chemicals, and parasites, can get into your tank. There isn't really an easy way to disinfect the driftwood either. You could try repeated soaking and water changes in a large plastic container, but wood is so porous that you never could clean it completely.
If you know the location that the wood came from and you can be sure that there would be a low chance of chemical contamination, then it would be ok to use if you bake it to kill the critters that could be inside. This is easy to do, Preheat your oven to 200 deg. f. and bake your driftwood on a cookie sheet or baking pan for about an hour. That will kill most adult parasites and eggs as well as any bacteria or fungi.
Oh, I sould also say that driftwood of any type isn't for saltwater. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Usually, rocks found at the beach will alter pH significantly, and both the rocks and driftwood from beaches tend to leach sea salt into your tank for years. Driftwood also rots eventually, and that isn't good for your tank either. Even if that weren't the case, there are sure to be microorganisms living in both, so they couldn't be put right in, but would have to be either treated with bleach for the rocks, or either baked or boiled for the wood (baking and boiling rocks can be very dangerous, so don't do that with rocks, only wood). You can use bleach with the wood to clean it as well. Then you'd have to rinse it until you didn't smell the bleach anymore, let it dry in the sun (bleach should then evaporate completely, bleach evaporates very fast), and then soak it a bit more just to be sure of things. There is also aquarium disinfect you can buy. But, like I said before, with the things you are thinking of, it wouldn't matter how long or well you cleaned them, they wouldn't be okay in your tank.

Answer 4

As far as harmful chemicals are concerned, there are usually ways to ensure the driftwood is safe. However, the driftwood will reduce your buffering capability in your aquarium and lower your pH to a level that is stressful to most fish. Most people do not recommend you add driftwood to your aquarium unless you are trying to soften the water and lower the pH, and this could happen pretty rapidly which could harm your fish. If you do intend to use the driftwood to lower your pH, I would keep a close eye on your pH to make sure it doesn't drop too quickly.
If you have fish that will appreciate a low pH and you decide to add the driftwood to the aquarium, first you need to boil it, and then soak it in water taken out of your aquarium for several weeks (change the water you are soaking it in weekly), and watch the water for changes in color, bubbles or film on the surface, or any other changes in the look or smell of the water. If it makes it 2 weeks without any abnormal changes in the look or smell of the water, there is a good chance it is safe to put in the aquarium.

Answer 5

i'm going through the same thing same thing right now... currently i'm soaking a piece of driftwood in salty water in a bucket.. for a week.. then i'll boil it for a few hours.

this will kill any bacteria, fungus and parasite... and it'll take out a lot of the tanin... that's the compound in wood that darken and lower the ph of water... you won't get rid of all of it... a little is actually good for most tropical fish.

Answer 6

It can be done. My recommendation is to use a cap full of Clorox in 2 gallons of water, scrub the driftwood with the bleach mix, rinse thoroughly with fresh water, then let the wood sit to dry in the sun for a day or 2.
The reason for this is to kill any bacteria or organisms that may be harmful to your tank.

Answer 7

You could but you'd have to do a few things to it.

1. Boil it
2. Let it cool
3. Put it in a bucket of water, usually a few days, or until the water is clear.
4. Put it in the tank.

Doing this, you will remove any bacteria and hitchhikers that will come along with the wood.

Answer 8

what people usually do iwhen they put driftwood in REPTILE cages is they put the driftwood in the oven to get rid of all the bacteria and other shnaz. i would probably do the same for fish.

Answer 9

I think the best way of doing that is to bake it in the oven for 30 minutes.. It will kill all germs in it and that way you won't have to bleach it which would kill your fish.
I hope this helps!

-~Ketlin

Answer 10

If you are nervous about putting it in the oven, you can boil it.