I want to add driftwood to my aquarium, where is the best place to get it? ?

Question

I want to add driftwood to my aquarium, I never have had it before, and am curious to hear from people about driftwood in their aquariums, what is the proper steps to take to introduce it? Where can you get it so that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I have checked out PetCo and PetSmart but they ask too much for it. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks......

( I think I'm addicted to this site, I have found allot of information from reading posts from everyone......)

Answer 1

It floats though?

Answer 2

they have it at the beach. and it's free  :)~

Answer 3

As you've mentioned, driftwood is sold in major pet stores like Petco and Petsmart, and they're not cheap. However, that is probably the safest wood for your aquarium as there is very little chance of harmful bacteria or "stowaways" (little bugs/crustaceans hiding in the wood) being introduced into your tank.

If you're close to the beach or woods however, there may be a way to ensure that you get good quality centerpieces for your aquarium at no cost to your wallet or the health of your fish.

Find a pretty, nice-sized piece of wood with no vegetation or fungi growing on it. Be sure that it is not polluted with chemicals such as pesticides. Hose it down with cold water to rinse off excess dirt or sand and to partially water-log it. Then boil the wood for 5-10 minutes in a pot to kill off bacteria and other living organisms. (Don't be alarmed if your water turns brown; this is normal and harmless and you can boil it as many times you like until the water is clear if you're picky about the color leaking into your tank.) This will also open up the pores of the wood so that it would sink. Leave it in a sunny spot inside your house to dry. Your now sterile driftwood is ready to revamp your tank!

If your piece of wood is to large to be boiled, you can try dousing it repeatedly with boiling water, and then baking it in your oven at around 175 degress F until dry.

If your driftwood still doesn't sink even after boiling or if you chose to bake it, you can drill a hole through the middle and s***w in a piece of slate or rock as an anchor. (Or you can tie a weight to the wood with clear fishing line). Then you can rearrange the substrate to cover the weight so only the driftwood is visible.

I hope this helped; good luck!

Answer 4

If you buy driftwood boil it in water until it sinks. This also releases any tannins in the wood and gets rid of any yuckies you don't want in your tank. I would rinse really well after it gets soaked and no longer floats.

If it comes with a slate bottom remove it for boiling.

I am presently making my own driftwood. It is going to take a real long time for that process! 2-3 months. But the piece is beautiful.

Answer 5

I just picked some up.  I had been looking for about a year now and fianlly found a sweet spot.  I also found crab pots, critters, floates, and bottels.  Look around on this site.

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/a...

If you don't find what you are looking for I might be willing to give you some of mine on ebay for shipping cost.

[e-mail]

Answer 6

you can buy it on dr. foster and smith website it's called liveaquaria.com, thank god i live at the beach and went and got my own that stuff is expensive but i think this website is cheapest.

you don't really have to boil it just wash it real good and use a scrub brush, and also it does float until its been underwater a long time so you will have to tie it down somehow i used zipties and flat rocks, and it will release tannins and make your water have a brown tea color but after a few months worth of water changes it will finally be gone..

Answer 7

some pet stores sell it so look around, and u can find it on a beach n thats where it origanaly comes from, and its been with fish b4