# DIY or finding your own driftwood



## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

I'd really like to find some driftwood on the beach this summer (from lake michigan), but i don't know what to do with it. First of all, it floats, and its dirty. Do i just boil it and then screw it into a piece of slate? Where can i get slate from? is there any other way to clean it (itd take a LOT of boiling water to boil some pieces of driftwood...) or to get it to sink?

Also, most driftwood is in larger pieces. How can i use smaller pieces? I have heard that you can just take pieces off of oak trees and throw them in without them rotting. is that true? Would i just boil them and put them in, or would i have to do more with them?

have any of you done this before?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

scrub it/ pressure wash it. soak it in water for a while and it might start to sink. 

Oak doesn't rot, but the bark will. Peel the bark off, boil them and stick 'em in.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

I actually wouldn't get driftwood from the lake, alot of times driftwood from large bodies of water picks up toxic chemicals. 
You can use oak branches that you pick up off the ground though, just strip the bark (powerwashing works fantastic) and soak and/or boil.


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

will oak sink?


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

Thanks for posting this  
I was wondering what wood can I find that is good to use in the tank  
I like the Oak idea, but I want to know myself if it will sink after soaking it?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

demosthenes said:


> will oak sink?


yes it will


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

clwatkins10 said:


> yes it will


Nice! I guess I will be going to a near by park for a hike


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

funkyfish said:


> Nice! I guess I will be going to a near by park for a hike


have fun!


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## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

oak branches have worked well for me. It is hard to get the bark off. I thought I had peeled it all off, but after it soaked for a couple of weeks there was more inner bark that started to fall off. After I got that off, it looked really nice. It was sinking on its own after just a couple of weeks.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

yikesjason said:


> oak branches have worked well for me. It is hard to get the bark off. I thought I had peeled it all off, but after it soaked for a couple of weeks there was more inner bark that started to fall off. After I got that off, it looked really nice. It was sinking on its own after just a couple of weeks.


yeah, I think it is the cambium that turns dark and starts to peel off. The same thing happened to me


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 26, 2009)

interesting and useful information. thanks for the ideas


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## suebe333 (Feb 17, 2009)

very interesting indeed


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## blair (Feb 8, 2009)

I just collected some oak branches. How do I go about peeling the bark? Even though this is dead wood it seems to be pretty attached to its branch. I did sort of carve some off but it was taking way to long, so I just began soaking it. Will it soften enough to peel with my fingers? And if its to large to boil... what is a wise approach to cleaning it ? (a few are 3'+).


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

blair said:


> I just collected some oak branches. How do I go about peeling the bark? Even though this is dead wood it seems to be pretty attached to its branch. I did sort of carve some off but it was taking way to long, so I just began soaking it. Will it soften enough to peel with my fingers? And if its to large to boil... what is a wise approach to cleaning it ? (a few are 3'+).


The live stuff is easier to peel, but you have to leave it out for a while and be sure to wash it extra good. On difficult pieces I sat down with a box cutter and started whittling. The large pieces can be washed in the dish washer.


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## demosthenes (Aug 23, 2008)

ohh, that makes sense. i'll definitely try that. is it only oak that that works with?


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## lumpyfunk (Dec 22, 2004)

I got a 30 gallon metal garbage can and built myself a fire to boil one of my stumps. It took a lot of wood to get that sucker boiling though.


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## Tracy (Apr 2, 2009)

Nice info, I'll be trying this. But why does it have to be so clean?


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## Tracy (Apr 2, 2009)

I just read oak, cherry, and apple, or anything that is considered a hard wood.

And I copied this off the internet:

Preparing the wood:

Once again, make sure there is no rot. Use a wire brush to remove any rot. Strip the wood of any bark. Prepare a large plastic container by cleaning it and filling it with clean water. Tupperware or Sterilite work well. Dump in a couple handfuls salt and mix it well. This salt-water solution will help draw out any impurities and dehydrate many organisms on or in the wood. Weight down the wood with rocks, submerging it completely and cover the container with a lid. The wood will most likely leach tannins, turning the water brownish looking. Soak it for a few days to a couple weeks, changing the water daily. Try to soak it until it sinks on it's own and stops leaching tannins into the water. The length of time you need to soak it is largely dependant on how sun bleached it is to begin with. When you feel it has soaked long enough, rinse it well.

Sterilizing the wood:

There are two ways to sterilize the driftwood – Boiling and Baking. Boiling or baking will kill anything the salt water did not and keep your fish safe. There are pros and cons to either method.

Many times, boiling the wood is impractical unless you have a very large pot the wood will fit in. Boiling tends to stink up the house a bit. But, with boiling, there is less risk of the wood catching fire. Boiling also helps to ensure the wood will sink when added to the aquarium. If you choose to use this method, boil it well for at least an hour at a full rolling boil. Make sure the water covers the wood at all times.

Another method is to bake the wood in an oven on low heat (200 degrees F) for several hours. I prefer my old outdoor gas grill. Usually the wood fits nicely inside and I can close the lid and simmer it on low heat for as long as I like. When baking the wood, keep a careful eye on it. The dry heat of baking can allow the wood to catch fire, so check on it frequently.

Why not braise or steam the wood in the oven? It won't catch on fire then.


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

just a thought. Oak is an excellent wood for water... i.e. Venice is still standing on hundreds of years old oak posts (although they are being replaced slowly) and that city is still there.


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

and wouldn't it make more sense to first sterilize the wood and then soak it, since the baking will definitely remove all the water and then you have to resoak it?


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

that sounds great to just go for a hike and pick up some oak.. haha can i put cacti in my tank :/


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

JennaH said:


> that sounds great to just go for a hike and pick up some oak.. haha can i put cacti in my tank :/


I believe badcopnofishtank is in AZ, and he manages to collect some excellent manzanita pieces, so it might be worth a look around.


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## smcbaranek (Sep 24, 2009)

I collected a piece of driftwood from the columbian river in Washington State. To prepare the wood I used 50 to 50 of water and bleach. Let it soak for a week then cleaned the piece with a wire brush getting all the loose stuff of and gave it a real quick sanding. Then I let it soak for another week in clean water. I have had it in my tank for a year now with no problems.


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## Airphotog (Aug 21, 2009)

smcbaranek said:


> To prepare the wood I used 50 to 50 of water and bleach.


 
Wow 50% bleach! I am surprised that you got it out of the wood even after soaking. I would think that you would have to boil it to help leach the bleach out.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Bleach is extremely water soluble, so all it takes is adding water/rinsing. Or even to make sure just dump it in a container with dechlorinator after rinsing.


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

Tracy said:


> I just read oak, cherry, and apple, or anything that is considered a hard wood.
> 
> And I copied this off the internet:
> 
> ...


All of this is pretty much unnecessary. If you collect dry, dead, weathered wood, you shouldn't have to bake or sterilize it, just clean it by either removing any loose bark and scrubbing it or, if you have the capability, power-washing it. Boiling is also pretty much not needed, and can be pretty much unfeasible for anything over 12", it just needs to be soaked until it sinks. 

Don't bother with thinking that you have to collect wood from bodies of water, this could actually be more harmful as the wood can absorb toxins and be home to possible pests that would harm your tank. If you've ever burned beach driftwood, you'll know that there is no way that should ever get near anyones tanks.


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