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found driftwood & getting it to sink

3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  iamntbatman 
#1 ·
I've just started cycling my 15g, which will be a brackish tank, and I thought it might be nice to use driftwood, primarily.

There's actually an entire box of really beautiful pieces of found driftwood accumulated over a couple decades, gathering dust in my parent's garage - all found on various beaches along the pacific.

So my first question - any problem with using found driftwood in a brackish tank?

Second - how does one get dry driftwood to sink?
 
#2 ·
First off I'd give the wood a good boil or two to make sure everything on it is killed off.

To make it sink tie it to something heavy and leave it under water for a few weeks. Either put it in a bucket and weigh it down or just add it to your aquarium. Eventually it will water log and sink.
 
#3 ·
Thanks - here's a follow up question ...

What would be the consequences of adding some of the same seashore-found wood to my fresh water 30g? Boiling, of course ... I understand wood can affect PH - does it bring it up or down?
 
#4 ·
It lowers pH by leeching tannins into the water. These tannins can also turn your water a golden, tea-like color over time. It doesn't harm the fish but some people don't like the way it looks. Personally, I think it makes the water look more "natural."

However, found pieces of driftwood like that might have been in the water for a long time, so they might not have much in the way of tannins left to leech into the water.
 
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