# So what makes driftwood really "driftwood"??



## Jeffress77 (Mar 15, 2010)

I know that usually this is wood that has been saturated by some water source, but I read about all of the beneficial properties of driftwood, and I really wonder are all of these beneficial properties the same for whatever type of tree or vine the driftwood was from?

Is the Lake Michigan driftwood going to be the same as Malaysian driftwood? What makes them different?


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## jeffro0050 (Apr 4, 2010)

As far as I understand it, driftwood is a term used for submersible wood that won't rot... so I'm guessing for the most part it depends on how much you like how one type looks over another.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Jeff, where around LM are you, I live just outside of chicago and refuse to even eat the fish out of LM. I dont collect rocks or driftwood from the lake because I dont want to spend weeks cleaning them. LM harbors some bad stuff, It would be better if you went inland a bit and collected from a river or stream.


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## Jeffress77 (Mar 15, 2010)

I live near the shore in Indiana. I was just using a reference to see if it mattered where the wood came from geographically. I didn't know if certain types of wood or certain types of water were neccessary to derive the driftwood from.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Real driftwood is dead and has been water logged. Too many stores sell driftwood that is not dead yet. Some malaysian (and other) ones still grow fungus because they are still not dead in the center and are releasing nutrients that grow the fungus.

I got mine from a local seller who finds them in our local lakes. He then goes back and sandblasts them to remove the top layer and to shape them better for tanks. They never grew fungus and sunk right away even though he sold them with a granite slab to keep them vertical.


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

All the wood in my tanks has come from nowhere near water. I dont like to touch wood thats come from lakes/creeks/rivers etc. Mainly because it can contain waterbourne parasites and nasties.

All mine has come from stock grazing paddocks, and generally they are from gum trees. I just make sure they are old and fully dried out, then soak to get them waterlogged and to release the tannins. The initial fungus is normal and not in the least harmful to fish, infact some fish enjoy grazing on it. The fungus doesnt last long anyway, it will clear up on its own 

Never had any issue from using it, so i will continue to do so, and i'm constantly scouting for more interesting pieces.


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*I personally describe driftwood as wood that is sturdy, sinks, doesnt leach nutrients, doesnt grow fungus, and doesnt rot too fast.

I bought grapevine "driftwood" at petsmart once and it grew slime/fungus all over it within 3 days and when I took it out... it smelled of rotten eggs and sulfur. After research grapevine should never be used as driftwood because its not... driftwood. Any fruit branches leech too much nutrients into the water. Id rather spend money on real driftwood such as Malaysian, Mopani etc.*


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## nike22 (Apr 15, 2010)

As far as I understand it, driftwood is a term used for submersible wood that won't rot...


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