Way to make driftwood sink faster?

Is there a way to make driftwood sink faster? I was planning on putting this driftwood into my new 10 gallon and was wondering if there was a way to make it sink faster.

 

Is there a way to make driftwood sink faster? I was planning on putting this driftwood into my new 10 gallon and was wondering if there was a way to make it sink faster.

You should boil it a bunch of times to get some of the initial tannins out and to make sure it's free of spores/fungi and unwanted bacteria. It will sink when it is absorbed with water.

 

I boiled it for two hours. Is that good enough?
lol do u see that I posted a bunch of threads, I wanted my threads to take over the recent threads box.

 

I boiled it for two hours. Is that good enough?
lol do u see that I posted a bunch of threads, I wanted my threads to take over the recent threads box.

Yes it is far less confusing if you stick to one post if you want consistant replies. Two hours is not enough. I'm sure you noticed how dark the water was, I would dump black water and re-boil it until it sinks and the water is less dark. Depending on size of wood, longer the boil. I had to soak a piece of large driftwood in a 10 gallon bucket for 2 months before it was ready.

 

removing the tannins and even boiling it at all is an optional preference in most cases... I just rinse/soak mine with conditioned water

 

removing the tannins and even boiling it at all is an optional preference in most cases... I just rinse/soak mine with conditioned water

How long do you soak it for? Not too many people with aquascapes enjoy their logs floating around, and some fish are sensitive to tannins. Just good to know that if you want a log to sink, it has to be full with water and boiling it just does it faster.

 

Yes it is far less confusing if you stick to one post if you want consistant replies. Two hours is not enough. I'm sure you noticed how dark the water water was, I would dump black water and re-boil it until it sinks and the water is less dark. Depending on size of wood, longer the boil. I had to soak a piece of large driftwood in a 10 gallon bucket for 2 months before it was ready.

but what if I want the tannins?

 

but what if I want the tannins?

No matter what it will give you tannins... when you do your initial soak in your tank without boiling first it will get really dark and thick very fast and can throw off parameters, depending on size of wood and how much you're adding. When I first started I added a bunch of driftwood to tank not knowing and next day my water looked like tea, which is too fast of a change.

 

Is there a way to make driftwood sink faster? I was planning on putting this driftwood into my new 10 gallon and was wondering if there was a way to make it sink faster.

That happened to me the first time I used driftwood. It never occurred to me that it would float. I had to anchor it in the substrate with rocks, and it was a huge piece. My water didn’t discolor enough for it to be a problem. The next tank I set up I placed the driftwood in a bucket of conditioned water and it took about a week - the pieces were smaller though. Tannins are good for the water and also have healing attributes. While driftwood is known to lower pH, it’s a gradual lowering which is healthier for the fish, and frankly, when I added mine, I was testing every few days and it didn’t do anything for pH one way or the other. I’m getting ready to set up another tank - a 55G. I’ve learned patience my friend. If this is a new tank, put it in a bucket. The tank has to cycle anyway. If an established tank, boiling is an option, but I wouldn’t want to boil the tannins out. It’s all a matter of preference. Neither way is wrong.

 

If the shape allows it, you can keep it down by putting a stone on top of it. That's what I did with mine, but make sure the stone is staying in place, you don't want it to fall down and break your tank.

 

That happened to me the first time I used driftwood. It never occurred to me that it would float. I had to anchor it in the substrate with rocks, and it was a huge piece. My water didn’t discolor enough for it to be a problem. The next tank I set up I placed the driftwood in a bucket of conditioned water and it took about a week - the pieces were smaller though. Tannins are good for the water and also have healing attributes. While driftwood is known to lower pH, it’s a gradual lowering which is healthier for the fish, and frankly, when I added mine, I was testing every few days and it didn’t do anything for pH one way or the other. I’m getting ready to set up another tank - a 55G. I’ve learned patience my friend. If this is a new tank, put it in a bucket. The tank has to cycle anyway. If an established tank, boiling is an option, but I wouldn’t want to boil the tannins out. It’s all a matter of preference. Neither way is wrong.

I've already boiled it although not all of the tannins were removed. I'm soaking it now.

If the shape allows it, you can keep it down by putting a stone on top of it. That's what I did with mine, but make sure the stone is staying in place, you don't want it to fall down and break your tank.

Mine is like a triangle shape so I can't really balance anything on the top.

 

It would be hard to get rid of " all tannins" by boiling, it is a piece of organic material that is slowly breaking down.