# Do i need to treat/soak driftwood from my lfs?



## evander508 (Apr 6, 2015)

EDIT!
Any good websites that I can buy driftwoord off? (I don't mean like amazon or petco.com)


Hi I'm thinking about buying some driftwood for my tank and was wondering if I need to soak it to reduce tannins or is it already pre soaked? (if that makes any sense). Most likely will but it form petco, or petsmart.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

Tannins won't hurt fish, in fact most fish like the tannins. If you boil it then that will get rid of some of the tannins if there are any of them. I would look for some driftwood that is already in the fish tank, not one that is sitting high and dry.


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## evander508 (Apr 6, 2015)

k:Thanks I appreciate the response, especially how quick it was.http://www.aquariumforum.com/images/smilies/12.gif


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

evander508 said:


> k:Thanks I appreciate the response, especially how quick it was.http://www.aquariumforum.com/images/smilies/12.gif


You're welcome .


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## evander508 (Apr 6, 2015)

big b said:


> Tannins won't hurt fish, in fact most fish like the tannins. If you boil it then that will get rid of some of the tannins if there are any of them. I would look for some driftwood that is already in the fish tank, not one that is sitting high and dry.


 Also how long should I boil it for? How many hours at a time, and for how long? Regular tap water? (my tap is higher ph than my tanks)


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

Well I myself just set the driftwood in some boiling tap water for the day and whenever it cools off I empty it and put some more boiling water in it. I repeat this process until I don't see anymore tannins. I have never had any trouble using tap water for the boiling water.


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## FancyFish (Jul 22, 2015)

Just a fyi, 

Petco & Petsmart mostly carry Mopani wood,if you are trying to avoid tannins it almost impossible with Mopani as it leaches tannins for years.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

What size tank do you have and what fish are in there?


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## FancyFish (Jul 22, 2015)

The question is directed to?


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

Oh sorry, I meant Evander508.


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## richard01 (Jun 25, 2015)

evander,508, i boil everything i buy. just put it in a pan, and boil it for 10 minutes. this will kill any bacteria, parisites, virus, germs, what ever. then it is safe for your tank. never, put anything you buy in a pet store, right in your tank. hope this answers question. CHOW!


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## clumsycarp (Jul 28, 2015)

i have been keeping fish for a fairly long time.at least a year now.i have never boiled wood or even rocks.no idea why people obsess about doing this.it is not neede..i may rinse in hot water , but that is about it..tannins are a part of the wood itself.it may take 20 years for the leeching to stop.


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## richard01 (Jun 25, 2015)

CLUMSY, its just a good safe guard. what you do is fine if it works for you you. when a bacteria is introduced to a tank havic can play out. we may go twenty years, no problem. then, OH MY GOD ! so all precautions at hand, are a smart way to go. in my years of having fresh, and salt, i have had havic kill me. so, i do the extreme, to give myself the greatest chance of success. i believe in SAYS LAW. what ever can go wrong, will go wrong in time. but like i said, if it works for you, then, do it brother, CHOW !


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## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

richard01 said:


> CLUMSY, its just a good safe guard. what you do is fine if it works for you you. when a bacteria is introduced to a tank havic can play out. we may go twenty years, no problem. then, OH MY GOD ! so all precautions at hand, are a smart way to go. in my years of having fresh, and salt, i have had havic kill me. so, i do the extreme, to give myself the greatest chance of success. i believe in SAYS LAW. what ever can go wrong, will go wrong in time. but like i said, if it works for you, then, do it brother, CHOW !


I agree with Richard: never had a problem until I did, now I always boil everything just to be safe. 99% of the time, you don't need to, but that 1% can hurt (financially if they are expensive fish, as well as emotionally regardless of the price paid for them).


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## clumsycarp (Jul 28, 2015)

by the wa.please "DO NOT" boil or bake rocks.EVER ! unless you don't mind taking the risk of maiming or killing family members.some years ago a friend had collected some rocks and was baking them to kill bugs and bacteria.we were in the garage working on a tank when we heard the explosion.went in the kitchen and the oven door had blown off and the wall and cabinets heavily damaged because of an internal void in one of the rocks.it was like a land mine went off.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

I give my rocks a quick shower in hot water.


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## evander508 (Apr 6, 2015)

Thanks for the replies everyone! And I have a 55 gallon tank with a breeding pair of pink convicts, a jack Dempsey, a female flowerhorn, a redhead cichlid (veija Synspilum), and some snails.


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## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

clumsycarp said:


> by the wa.please "DO NOT" boil or bake rocks.EVER ! unless you don't mind taking the risk of maiming or killing family members.some years ago a friend had collected some rocks and was baking them to kill bugs and bacteria.we were in the garage working on a tank when we heard the explosion.went in the kitchen and the oven door had blown off and the wall and cabinets heavily damaged because of an internal void in one of the rocks.it was like a land mine went off.


I can also attest to this. The rocks from the quarry near where I went to college were infamous for this. We always joked any time there was a fire drill, because the distance from the 7 story building made of these rocks (and the voids all had moisture in them, making them even more likely to explode) that we had to go to be safe from the fire was still WAY too close in the event of an actual fire that we would have been killed from the exploding rocks. Go VA Tech! lol


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## richard01 (Jun 25, 2015)

HI ALL ! here is a good short story. one of my salt water tanks started to have dead fish, $40.00 a crack. i racked my brains, but they keep dying, one by one. this went on about two months, i would replace the fish, with no luck ? then after two months of ??????????? i saw a can of roach killer in our closet. i asked my wife, what it was for. she would spray flys. NO !!!!! my air pump was picking up the vapors, and putting them in the fish tank. you know where the roach killer went -) to all, do not spray any poison in your house. use sticky strips instead.. i lost $500.00 worth of fish, before i figured out what was going on. thank god ! CHOW !


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## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

In reply to your question about where to get driftwood from, I would check craigslist, facebook yard sales, etc. Since it says you live in MA, you are fairly close to the water depending on where you live. I know here in VA there is always someone selling some very inexpensively (there is a guy about 20 minutes from work who's prices start at $2, and he has truck loads of it). If you are looking for a something cheap, you can always try ebay, as some of them from Hong Kong, with shipping, are only about $4 (granted, shipping takes about 2-3 weeks, normally). If you are looking for a specific look, your best bet will be craigslist/FB/etc.

Just my (cheapskate) two cents on the matter


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## clumsycarp (Jul 28, 2015)

that goes for most any aerosol such as hair spray etc...
not only does the air pump pull it in and sends it to the tank/s , but the airborn particles can also land on the water's surface or even the lid that may well get into the water..


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## richard01 (Jun 25, 2015)

EVANDER508, this is what i do. i get a pan that will fit the item, fill it just with tap water, becase your going to boil it, so the water will be pure any way. lut your item in, and just boil it 5 or 10 minutes. take it out, and let it cool to room temp. don't put it in your tank hot. then you know, anything that may be on that item is dead. i have been in aquariums for fifty years, salt, brackish, and fresh, i would not tell anyone misleading info. and your welcome ! GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND -)


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## richard01 (Jun 25, 2015)

TO ALL, drift wood you can buy at most any pet store, or aquarium store. also a good place is a river, or creek bank. that has to be boiled. bacteria, or parisites. on line should not be hard to find. i buy mine at pet smart. ( small pieces ) CHOW !


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## evander508 (Apr 6, 2015)

[MENTION=167642]welok[/MENTION] thanks, i appreciate it!


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