# How do I get my real driftwood ready for tank



## PeetaTheBetta (Apr 6, 2013)

I just bought some live (not fake) driftwood to go into my tank and I was wondering how to get it ready to go in? I also bought some plants...:-D


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Depends on if you want tannins in your tank or not.
If you don't care about that or do want tannins, I usually just give it a good rinse and go ahead and throw it in! Same with the plants, a good rinse, bit of a trim if they need it and in they go.
But if you don't want tannins then there's two things you can do. The first is (if it's a small enough piece) you can boil it. This one I haven't done yet so I would either wait for someone's comment or google it. The other is to just soak it in a bucket of dechlorinated water for about a week, change the water everyday until you stop seeing tannin being released  hope this helps a bit.


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## PeetaTheBetta (Apr 6, 2013)

Ok I just decided to boil it............Do I have to treat the plants with salt or anything if I got them from a stocked tank at Petco?


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## PeetaTheBetta (Apr 6, 2013)

I googled boiling the wood and everybody said that boiling is the best way!! Thanks


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

No problem! I've never had a problem with the plants that come in the tubes/bags from Petco/Petsmart but if you are worried about it you can quarantine them for a week or so. I'm not sure about using salt on them but it definitely doesn't hurt. I would probably google that as well (sorry not really giving a good answer here lol) But from my experience, I've never had any problems with those plants


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## Lena N (Mar 22, 2013)

I got 2 pieces of driftwood from Petco tanks. First peice washed with brush and rinsed it with boiled water, after I was keeping it in bucket in bathroom (dark place), changing cold water everyday. For a week.
After added it to tank. It has been in a tank for a week or more now and it looks very pretty and clean, no algue.
Another piece I just rinsed twice in boiled water. That piece has some algeu on it right now.
I would reccomend to soak your wood for a week in dark place, changing cold tap water every day. If there is any fungus it would show up and you could clean it more.


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## kyle89 (Mar 1, 2013)

I got a piece from a Petco tank. I scrubbed it with a brush and boiled it for around two hours an it has been soaking for the past two weeks. Leana n did your tank water get a slight brown at all after adding the Petco wood?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah that slight brown tint or tea color is just the tannins being released from the wood. Nothing harmful but will lower your PH a bit over time. Some fish actually like a black water environment like tetras and even betta's like it as it is usually a more acidic environment.

Also what I did for my Mopani is just soak it in a bucket for a week but I changed the water everyday but replaced it with hot decholorinated water.


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## PeetaTheBetta (Apr 6, 2013)

Thanks everyone!


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

My driftwood was a dry piece that I bought from a LFS. It was too big to boil so I washed it and put it in my tank. The water is a light tea color but I don't mind.


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## Lena N (Mar 22, 2013)

kyle89 said:


> I got a piece from a Petco tank. I scrubbed it with a brush and boiled it for around two hours an it has been soaking for the past two weeks. Leana n did your tank water get a slight brown at all after adding the Petco wood?


If it did, it is very very slight, not visible to me. But when I soaked it in water yes first days it was turning water a little brown. I would recommend to soak it untill water is more clear. If it is still brown, try to change water more often when soaking it.


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## Agility4fun (Nov 16, 2012)

Anyone notice that their driftwood sheds? I see little dot-sized bits of driftwood on the gravel and leaves.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Agility4fun said:


> Anyone notice that their driftwood sheds? I see little dot-sized bits of driftwood on the gravel and leaves.


I'm not sure about real driftwood but my Mopani wood doesn't do that, unless my little BN pleco goes around picking up all the little pieces before I see them.


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## kyle89 (Mar 1, 2013)

Lena N said:


> If it did, it is very very slight, not visible to me. But when I soaked it in water yes first days it was turning water a little brown. I would recommend to soak it untill water is more clear. If it is still brown, try to change water more often when soaking it.


I change the water every two days but an its only a light color. I wondered how it would be in a tank. Thanks


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