driftwood in aquarium

Question
We are setting up a new 55 gal. glass aquarium and want to put driftwood pieces (real) in the tank.  We live near the Puget Sound area and there is a lot of natural driftwood available but it has been exposed to salt water.  Can this be used in a fresh water aquarium if it is boiled or treated in some way to make it safe for freshwater fish? Thanks,  Larry

Answer
Hi Larry,

This is a great question! Actually, the saltwater is not that big a deal - what really hurts is pollution. A quick Google search - puget sound pollution - brought back lots of hits describing the troubling state of the water in this area. While it may be extremely tempting to use the driftwood you find naturally, it's risky.

I would at the very least, boil the water with a 10 parts water, 1 part bleach solution, and let it sit out in the sun for a few days. Driftwood usually floats, so you may need to weigh it down with a heavy rock as part of your aquascaping for a while. It can take months for large pieces to sink by themselves, although they achieve a state of "zero buoyancy" (where they don't zip to the top but they don't completely sink either) within a few weeks usually.

Two precautions that I would personally recommend. Number one is of course, not putting your prized fish in this tank until you are sure that the wood is relatively safe. Any hardy "first fish" (and by that I don't mean fish to cycle the tank with) such as barbs or danios, which can adapt to a tank that is cycled but not yet mature, would be advisable to test the waters. Number two is use a chemical media to remove any nasties that might be left over. Most driftwood makes your water tannic, you have to consider whether you like this effect or not. Activated carbon (or carbon/resin blends like Chemi-Pure) will help remove the discoloration until the product is expended. PolyFilter is a product that removes certain chemicals, it's unique because it changes colors depending on what it absorbs. You can read more about it from the manufacturer's website:
http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/polyprod.htm
Or of course, use Google to read reviews and opinions.

I know that PolyFilter is mostly used in marine, not freshwater tanks, but it can be helpful in freshwater fishkeeping in certain circumstances - for example, removing phosphate, or absorbing copper medications.

I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole

P.S. Here are a few articles I found on prepping would for aquarium use, and using wood/rocks in general:
http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/194/
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/rkwdscapeag.htm