charl58

We recently decided to go back to tropical fish after keeping a cichlid tank for four years. I bought a large piece of driftwood at the lfs (the kind that has the slate bottom to hold it down) and have had it in the tank for about a week. The tank is filled with water temporarily so I could see how it would look. I will have to drain it again as we are painting so there are no fish in there yet. I just noticed the driftwood has a few areas where some white stuff has grown and it looks like it is swaying in a current (yuck!) It is only on that piece of driftwood. There are plenty of rocks and plants and they are not affected. I thought it would be treated and aquarium ready. Was there something I was supposed to do? Does anyone know if this is normal. Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks
Charlotte

tkfury

Its always best to boil any driftwood regardless of where you get it from. If its too large to fit in any pot you have I'm not really sure, maybe filling the tub might be an option? ^^; If it will fit in a pot, you'll have to be careful with the slate - just don't go from cold to hot or hot to cold suddenly or it will crack/explode.

Chief_waterchanger

I agree with Tkfury,

It is best to boil the driftwood pieces before putting them in the tank, unless they've recently been in someone's tank for a good period of time. If it is excessively large you can boil one end then flip the piece and boil the other end.

You could also put the driftwood in the oven on a pan at 150 degrees farenheit for about 2 hours. Make sure after that is done to turn the oven off and let it cool off inside the oven for a good period of time before removing the driftwood.

charl58

Thank you both. I never heard of the stove method. I think I will try that because of the size. I dont have a pan that it would fit in.

Chief_waterchanger

It should be fine on the oven rack, as long as you haven't cleaned the rack with chemicals in the past few days..

Good luck.

charl58

you know - on second thought. I dont know if I want to put this in my stove since it has this fungus on it. I dont like the idea of cooking my family a meal after the driftwood - ya know? Was I wrong in thinking the driftwood was aquarium ready? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Butterfly

The heat from "cooking" the driftwood will kill anything that would affect your family Most driftwood in the store had been picked up outside and so should be prepared(boiled, or baked) before putting in the aquarium.
Carol

tkfury

You'd like to think once you buy something from a store its safe but you have to remember the majority of those stores are hiring people based on how many fish they can sell you before you give up, not those who are educated and would rather make a profit over time from repeat customers.

You're not alone though. I got my driftwood from DFS but I didn't think twice about putting it right in. I had some stuff end up growing but I think my otos took care of whatever it was - they love resting on the wood and I haven't seen any since I added them. It wasn't until after that I red to boil it - I wont be making that mistake again but I probably wont be buying any driftwood anytime soon (getting expensive heh).

charl58

Thank you both for the replies. I did happen to come upon some info that refers to this as the "fungus phenom". It did go on to say that it was not actually a fungus and you could scrape it. It will eventually stop coming back. I may just ride it out since I am not sure how soon the painter is coming!! Its funny though - I think I am more excited to get new fish than to have my living room and dining room painted!

Butterfly

LOL we all know just how you feel. These little critters get under your skin
Carol

Goldfish301

well i wish i knew this before i put my drife wood in! I have had my drift wood for about 5 or 6 months and i was told to just let it soak in a bucket of water overnight and then empty it out and do it over and over untill the water was clear. and then after i put it in the tank it had white stuff on it like yours and my uncle said its common (he is a manager at Petsmart) and said that every once in a while they let the wood sit in bleach and then let it dry somewhere cause the bleach will evaporate off the wood. same with plants if you need them clean.(plastic plants)

clinton1621

Boiling the wood may not kill the fungus/mold entirely, its internal in the wood and will eventually die off even if you dont boil it. Some sites claim certain algae eaters will eat it off, but I'm not sure how healthy it is for them lol. It is usually recommended to boil driftwood regardless of mold anyway to reduce the amount of tannic acid that leaches into your tank ( a large amount at once can cause a sudden ph swing and possibly kill sensitive fish or inverts)