# Sterilize spores from driftwood



## Axelrodi202 (Jun 7, 2009)

What's the best way to sterilize hair algae spores from driftwood?

I have some driftwood pieces that I'd like to use. Some have been sitting dry for several years, and the others have been in a half-empty dark tank for that time. However, when they were last used in running tanks, these had hair algae. I suspect there could still be hair algae spores in the wood. All my current tanks are clean of hair algae, and I would obviously like to prevent its reintroduction.

Would a soak in H2O2 work? Boiling seems to be commonly suggested but I hear this makes the wood turn to mush more quickly.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Soaking in H2O2 will work. So will soaking in a bleach/water solution, but then you have to make sure to at least partly dry it to get rid of the surplus chlorine. I suspect soaking in a stronger than normal Excel/water solution will also work. I have used bleach/water only, followed by soaking in a Prime/water solution, and partly drying it.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jun 7, 2009)

Has anyone ever done an H2O2 soak? I'm wondering if leaving it in too long would turn the wood to mush.


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