Driftwood?

[aquariums+me=happy]

I found a piece of nice looking wood in our forest that is about, at some points (max), 1.5 inches thick. It is not so old that it's crumbleing, yet, is not brand new. ok, I guess it's not actually "driftwood". So I wus wandering if keeping it in a freezer for a day or two would have somewhat the same effect, (killing germs and stuff), as pouring boiling water on it?????? Why or why not? The reason I ask is because our water, throughout our whole house, is not working. Brocken pump. If that would not work is there anything else I can do except wait forever for these people to fix the pump, which will be a long time.:scry: :help:

[Brhino]

I doubt it would have much effect. Given that you live in Ohio, most of the various organisms that might be present on the driftwood can surely survive freezing temperatures.

[aquariums+me=happy]

How 'bout putting it in the oven?? Ive heard some people recomend that.

[gadget228]

Do you know what type of wood it is ? Is it hardwood or softwood, try denting it with your fingernail and if it dents it's softwood and you won't want to use it. A lot of softwood's have sap that you don't want in your tank and rot away fast.

[aquariums+me=happy]

If its not wet, its really hard. If it is wet, its like right in between hard and soft; I think it is oak but it's hard to tell when its older like this.

[admael]

Do you have no access to any water? Or just hot water? Because you could try soaking it in cold water to see if it falls apart.

[rich311k]

I would wait till you haVve water. Clean it well. Use a wire brush to remove any soft spots. A good scrubbing should be sufficient. You then need to see if the would will sink or not.

[aquariums+me=happy]

Ok, the guy came earlier than expected and we now have water!!!!!! I rinsed of the piece of wood and used sand paper to get all the bark and stuff off. I then soaked it in water then threw it in the oven at 200 degrees. goin well......

[30gallongal]

might want to just soak the wood in there for a week or so to see what it does. i got some 'driftwood' from east fork lake, baked it, boiled it, and soaked it, and it just made the water disgusting. plus it never sank, i had to suction cup it to the bottom of the tank. i ended up getting some fake stuff in the end.

[aquariums+me=happy]

Ok, so it's been in there for a few days and I'm starting to notice some white kind of fluffy stuff on it. Is this a type of algae? Should I take the wood out?

[promise]

you should notice kind of like a white slimy/fluffy looking blob yes.
can you post a pic of it so we can be sure?

[Crispy]

the white stuff is harmless and easily wipes off. very common with new wood. sounds like you did everything right....

[aquariums+me=happy]

Ok well, the white stuff is gone and the water is clear. The tank looks Great in my opinion! Only thing is, the part of driftwood that sticks slightly out of the water is growing (white) fungus on it. Will this hurt the fish or submerged plants\?

[Scrup]

That is mold or fungus, not a good thing for the fish or for you.

Try getting some java moss, I have heard it has magical abilities that keep fungus and mold at bay. Maybe not magical, but it works.

[aquariums+me=happy]

Well it's kinda out of the water.

[Scrup]

Yes..that is why this is happening.

Java moss can grow out of the water- set it up kinda like this and attack it with thread. It will wick the water out of the tank and keep itself wet as long as part of it is submerged. I have used it on floating driftwood before and it worked great.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2729703568_50824c7eca.jpg

[Scrup]

Don't attack it, attach it...sorry.:11:

[aquariums+me=happy]

Don't attack it, attach it...sorry.:11:

Lol. Well, I just cut it off. I really like the look of java moss though and will add that to the list of things I need to get my next trip to the pet store. I do need more plants in the tank and am thinking about what other fish Ill put in there. Workin on the pics!

[aquariums+me=happy]

Hey guys, i just got a YouTube account a few days ago so instead of putting pictures on my 5 gallon remodeling here is my channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/HOBBYBOY333 If anyone has a youtube account on here be sure to tell me so I can add you as a friend or subscribe. :hmm3grin2orange:

[HomaridNoob6]

The attack it thing had me almost truly ROFL'ing, didnt quite fall out of my chair but close. Sometimes those minor mispells can be really funny to me.

The white moldy type stuff is pretty common on new driftwood, or non driftwood wood. Just keep wiping it off and vac it up it will eventually stop, soaking the wood in a 5-10% bleach solution can help too, but some woods will bleach undesirably. also they have to soak in clean water for a good while after with daily changes. I've only ever done this with wood that molded really badly.

That whitish or gray mold stuff tends to hardly even appear when you put new wood into an established tank, there is probably some bacteria or something that eats whatever causes or feeds it. I get a lot of nasty driftood, and I just spend a long time soaking it. Scrup has great advice with the moss though, it seems to stop that mold too.