# Driftwood



## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Okay so my driftwood has been soaking for about three days, and it has also gone through two cycles in my dishwasher.. On average, about how long does one soak driftwood before it stops shedding little brown wooden fragments and dust?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Driftwood really never stops releasing tannins, it just subsides enough that it unnoticble. The time it takes varies & really depends on the type of wood it is. 3 days is really not that long. I would continue to soak it until the water is clear enough that you can see through it. However pieces of wood should not be fallen off. If this is happening then the would you have may be too soft, which can cause problems in the aquarium.


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

What kind of DW is it? If it is mostly dust and small wood particles you can take a steel brush to it to clean of any dirt that is stuck to it. Also if it is wood that is not properly cured by having already been in water for a long time then it might actually rot in your tank. This would be bad!!


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Well, it seems rather water-logged, as it sank the first day I soaked it.
The wooden fragments aren't large.. I just figured it had to stop shedding brown stuff completely before I could arrange it in my aquarium.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The wood surface should be hard, so you can scrub it with a brush to remove the loose bits. If those loose bits are bark, removing them is even more important, in my opinion, because of what can live under the bark.


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## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

Thanks! I'll get a hard brush or sponge and tend to this soon.


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## HockiumGuru (May 2, 2008)

I soaked my Malasian Driftwood for a week, and even then it was still leaking somewhat, once it went into the tank I just did a couple of 50% water changes. Now its wait and see on the Ph lvl i think.


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