Question about sterilizing wood

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RenK777

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Sep 4, 2016
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Hi! Being that I'm on a budget, I need to be a little creative with decorating my tank. On a whim, I went to a local reservoir today to hunt for some driftwood. I also scoured my backyard and found a log I'm extremely excited about using in my tank. However, they're so large that I can't boil them. And I'm hesitant to use chlorine since I don't have a tub large enough to soak them and I don't want chlorine in the tank. I have them soaking in the tank to release tannins at the moment and hoping they sink. So far, they appear so aged that I don't see many tannins being released. But there is some moss and a bunch of bugs that were inside of them so I'm looking for a safe way to treat them to eliminate any potential threats. I've thought of using celtic sea salt since it's natural and hasn't been processed. The other idea was to utilize the Tetra Pond Pond Fish Treatment to soak the wood in. It's meant for koi and goldfish and while we used it successfully in our pond once, it's hard core stuff and I'm not thrilled about the idea. Still, it would kill any fungus, parasites, bacteria, etc. that could pose a threat. I'm just worried that after soaking and rinsing and repeating, that I might not be able to eliminate all of the product and that it might be toxic to the tropical community fish I plan to get for the tank. Any ideas as to how I might make my wood safe? Do you think the pond treatment would work or do you think the salt is a better route? Any other ideas? It won't fit in the dishwasher so I can't run the hottest cycle and be done :(
 

Rbishop

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Dec 30, 2005
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Do you know what kind of wood? Soft woods are usually left out of a tank. Boiling water poured on it and a wire scrub brush works wonders.
 

Octavarium

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Mar 2, 2005
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I agree with Bishop about the boiling and scrub (or if particular piece could fit in a pot, boil that submerged for 15 min or so)
 
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