Driftwood can be an excellent piece of decor to add to a fish tank. It is often the centerpiece of many aquariums. Whether you’re looking for branchy, large, or small pieces is entirely up to you but they are out there. You can find aquarium driftwood for sale at most pet stores, in the wild, or online. If you grab driftwood from the outdoors, consider the dangers pesticide or insecticide the wood has absorbed may have on your aquarium. Regardless of where you get your wood from, it’s a good idea to sterilize it and prepare it before use. This article will focus on how to prepare driftwood before adding it to your fish tank.
1. Selecting Your Driftwood
You’ll want to start by finding that perfect piece of driftwood for your fish tank. Fish tank driftwood comes in all shapes and sizes, so make sure the piece you’re using is appropriate for your aquarium. Consider how hard or easy it may be to clean the glass and gravel vacuum around it when making your decision.
There are countless types of driftwood for sale. You can likely find them at your local fish store, or purchase them online on different marketplaces including Amazon. The ones I commonly use are Spiderwood, Mopani Wood, and Malaysian Driftwood.
Physically inspect your piece of driftwood before picking it out. I recommend you avoid pieces that have a lot of sharp edges unless you’re handy with a chisel or tool that can smooth out the piece. Also, look for potential rotting or decaying that may be occurring. You’ll want to avoid pieces like that. If you find a piece of wood outdoors, try and identify what species of wood it is. Some species are not safe for aquarium use, especially many pieces of pine. You’ll have to do some research to figure out the species and whether it’s safe to use as driftwood for aquariums.
2. Cleaning Your Driftwood
The easiest place to start with cleaning your driftwood is to simply run it through some warm water. This will allow you to remove dirt, debris, and other gunk that might be sticking to your wood. I recommend using an old toothbrush or a clean brush of some sort to get in there to remove debris. We want to add as little foreign contaminants into our aquarium to lessen the chance of disease being introduced. Do not use cleaning supplies, like soap or bleach when cleaning your driftwood. These chemicals are not safe for fish tanks and can be dangerous to fish if not rinsed properly.
Cleaning Driftwood with Vinegar
Many people consider this step overkill, but it is an option for someone who is more cautious in what they add to their aquarium. You can clean your driftwood with vinegar. There’s no exact science as to how much vinegar to use, but dilute some in a bucket of water and drop your driftwood in. It is safer to use vinegar as a cleaning solution compared to soap or bleach. Although it may not be as powerful of a disinfectant as bleach or soap, it is the better choice. I would personally skip this part to avoid risking anything getting soaked in by the wood and then releasing it into your fish tank. We will also be boiling the wood which should remove any pests as well.
3. Boiling Driftwood For Fish Tanks
Many types of driftwood release tannins that will tint your aquarium water a tea/brown color. Tannins are not harmful in any way, but not everyone enjoys the look of brown water. Some tannins are very beneficial for soft water, low pH-loving fish, and when done right can look incredible. Many aquarists use driftwood, Indian Almond Leaves, black peat, and other organic matter to achieve a blackwater aquarium. Aquariumscience.org goes into great detail on what a blackwater aquarium is and has fantastic images of them in action.
Boiling driftwood is a common tactic that can be used to help remove harmful organisms and assist in removing tannins. This is easily done with smaller pieces but can be a bit more challenging for large pieces of driftwood. Smaller pieces of driftwood can be put into a large pot, placed on a stove, and boiled for anywhere between 1-2 hours. You should do your best to keep your pieces fully submerged. Boiling driftwood will help remove tannins from the water, but it doesn’t always completely do its job, and some tannins may continue to leach out even after boiling.
There is only so much you can do with larger pieces of driftwood. If you have a pot large enough to hold some of it, you can boil whatever is submerged, and then rotate it in the pot so a new portion of it will be submerged for boiling. If not, you can boil water in a kettle or some sort of container, and then pour the boiling water over the driftwood piece. You’ll want to do this a few times over all parts of the wood. This will likely not remove too many tannins but it will help sterilize driftwood to make it safer for your fish.
4. Soaking Your Driftwood
After boiling driftwood, it is still possible for it to float and release tannins. The next step of soaking your driftwood is optional, but it can further lower tannin release into your water and help your driftwood sink if you have a floater. All you have to do is place your driftwood in a bucket or container and fill it with fresh water. If it floats, you’ll want to let it sit there for days to weeks so it can absorb water which will cause it to sink, eventually. If you see tannins and want to remove them, you will want to change the water daily to remove the tinted water.
To see whether the driftwood will have any effects on your water parameters, consider testing the water’s pH and hardness before putting it into the bucket, and then test the water in the bucket after a day or two while the wood is soaking. If you see a rise or drop in hardness or pH, the driftwood may be altering the water’s chemistry.
Many aquarists do not want to wait for their driftwood to sink, so some will use super glue, like the Gorilla Glue Super Glue Gel XL to adhere their driftwood to a piece of rock. Slate rock is commonly used as the base. The slate rock will be buried by substrate so it’s ok if it doesn’t fit the aesthetic of your aquarium. You can use whatever rock will work best for you, and you can also use aquarium-safe silicone, like SELSIL Aquarium Silicone instead of super glue. However, keep in mind that silicone takes a little longer to dry.
5. Final Cleaning
I recommend doing a final scrub of the driftwood with a clean brush to remove debris. It’s pretty much ready to be placed in your aquarium at this point. Once it is placed in your fish tank, you will see whether the wood is affecting the clarity of your water. If you see your water begin turning brown from your wood, you can use activated carbon, like Boyd Enterprises Chemipure or Seachem Purigen as well as water changes to help remove it from the water.
Does Driftwood Need to be Cleaned?
Technically you don’t have to clean your driftwood, but the negative effects that come with not doing so are not worth it. There can be organic matter and debris in your wood, there can be harmful bacteria or pests that can negatively affect your fish and invertebrates. It’s better to stay on the side of caution and give driftwood for fish tanks a good cleaning, especially if you find a piece outside.
Final Notes
There are many different types of driftwood for aquariums. Some aquarists prefer purchasing them from fish stores or online, while others go out and find what they need in the wild. Be mindful of the ethics and legality of taking wood from preserves, natural spaces, and other public areas. Also, keep note of possible pesticide applications or chemical use if you plan on taking wood from outside. These things can be dangerous to fish and invertebrates.