# How to prepare large pieces of driftwood?



## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

Hi
I have a question regarding prepping larger pieces of driftwood. With smaller pieces I usually boil for hours and then soak until waterlogged and most tannins are leached out. But what to do with pieces that too big to fit in a pot? How have you prepared larger pieces? Thanks


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I soaked mine in a bucket for a week and then put it in the tank.


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## cactusdoug (Feb 17, 2004)

Good question Able,

But what if it is too big to fit in a bucket?

I have this piece of oak,
it's about 7 inches in diameter and about 30 inches long.
It's completly hollow, with a couple of ways to get to the inside, from the ends and from the center branch tip.

I'm thinking of using it in my 55 gal tank with a complete change of plants, something like a stream bed with some tall growing Vals behind it and some Crypts and maybe some twisted Val in front of it, using some round beach pebbles and a sand substrate.

I was thinking of taking it to the self service spray car wash and blasting it with water (no soap) in side and out, and then soaking it in a plastic 40 gallon trash can for a few weeks changing the water every couple of days.

CD


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Can you fit it in your dishwasher?

I've washed wood like that before. The hot water may split part of the wood. Running 7-8 full cycles does not get rid of all the tannins but at least a good part of them are gone.

Just a reminder - do not use soap, hehe

--Nikolay


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## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

Does washing in the dishwasher help to get it waterlogged or you still have wait forever for it to sink? I have a piece weighted by a rock that is sunk at one end and its been in water close to two months and still leaching tannins. I have a bunch of pieces that need to be done and would like to done before the end of summer :wink: .


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

I have no answer to the question about the dishwasher making the wood sink. All my pieces of wood sunk from the very beginning, even before any washing.

I do believe that the dishwasher helps air and tannins to get out of the wood because of the hot water. But even after 8 cycles one of the pieces of wood produced some tannins for about 3 more months while in the tank.

To me it seems that there is no fast way around the tannins, unless one uses wood that is white.

I've never tried using bleach on the wood followed by a neutralization with chlorine remover. May be someone else would share their experience with that approach.

--Nikolay


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## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

The tannins don't bother me unless they're turning the water a lovely dark tea color within a day. Slightly yellow is ok. I always seem to get wood that floats and takes forever to sink. I'm doing all my pieces that I want done right now in the dishwasher. We'll see how they float after a few cycles. Do you think the temp gets high enough to even partially sterilize them?


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

Use aquarium safe silicon seal and glue em to rocks or a piece of slate. Not permanent if you jostle the piece to much..but chances are, if it breaks, the piece will probably sink on its own by then.


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## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

Well, I didn't silicon them, but just put the rocks on the pieces. Though the one is more wedged in there. I only want to move or remove the one rock, so not too bad.


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## Dave B (Feb 20, 2004)

I not sure where I read this information, but I remember reading that boiling driftwood can make it susceptible to some sort of fungus or bacteria. I'm going to be using a nice new piece of wood in my tank this week. Does any one know anything about this issue?


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