[BigRed]

I bought a bunch of driftwood from a LFS 1 1/2 weeks ago. As soon as I got it home I boiled it several times. I then put it in a bucket of water. I change the water 2x daily for a week and the water looks like tea. So I boiled it again for 20-30 minutes. I tried figuring out what type of wood it was but I'm not sure. It is two toned, light and dark wood.

My question is how much longer should I expect it to leak brown? Any more tips / tricks? Thanks guys

 

[Zapins]

hey big red,
i seem to remember reading somewhere that you should boil the wood for 3-4 hours. the long boiling helps to draw out all the tannic acids (stuff thats making your water tea colour). otherwise your water should start to clear in the next few weeks with regular water changes. good luck

 

[BigRed]

Really I thought that would be to long of a time to boil. I have read elsewhere that you shouldn't boil for more that 20-30 minutes. Actually the wood is still sitting in a bucket in my room. I haven't dared put it in my fish tank, not sure if I could take the tan water all the time.

 

[Zapins]

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...iftwood_do.htm+cure+driftwood+boil+time&hl=en

check out that website it should help ya out with curing your wood

 

[JanS]

In my experience it varies alot from piece to piece - I've some ready with one boiling and an overnight soak, and others take weeks.
I usually let it simmer on the stove for a few hours, then put it in a bucket of water and change it every time I walk by as long as it's still turning the water brown. With a little patience it will come around for you. Just be careful that there are no soft spots in the wood that may be causing the problem. I've recently come across a couple chunks of regular aquarium driftwood that I couldn't use because it was already decomposing in some of the nooks and crannies. You certainly don't want that happening in your tank.