preparing malaysia driftwood

[sharonm]

I have purchased several pieces of driftwood. Now, I have read about 2 ways to prepare the driftwood and would love some help. One way is to soak it for 1-2 weeks. The other way is to boil the driftwood for 1-2 hours and then soak it for a couple of days. Any ideas?

[Wiggs]

boiling helps to kill off any parasites or little friends it may be bringing with it as well as drawing out the tanins that will stain your water.

Did you get it from a LFS? or just someone who was selling driftwood?

[PostalPenguin]

A 3rd option is to just put it in the tank. The tannins are harmless and some fish enjoy them. Its what I did and now about a month later the water has cleared up on its own. But boiling it will sterilize and speed the removal of tannins.

[Wild Turkey]

If they will fit in a pot, i always boil. As long as its completely submersed just give it a rinse in cool water after and its good, no need to soak. Most likely the wood will leak tannins for a while, but it will go away with regular water changes.

[sharonm]

I actually bought 2 pieces from ebay and just ordered a piece of Mopani from Dr. Fostersmith. I think I will try the boiling and from what I have read about it, the tetras like the water from the tannis.

[KingFisher]

I just boil mine until it sinks, which can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours. If you want to get rid of as much tannins as possible, change the water every hour. One piece I boiled for 8 hours hardly leached any tannins into the tank at all afterward. Also if you do not like tannins in the water, running activated carbon in the filter helps to remove them. If you boil your wood, be sure to cool it down completely before adding it to your tank.