# drift wood from the beach?



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hi guys 

So i wanted to head down to the beach and see if i could find any bits for my 30 gallon. 

I needed to know if there was any special steps or cautions i wanna take before i put that into the tank?

I do have access to a power washer... if i can find a bit not too big i could place it in the oven.

Do these bits always need a slate base? Where is a good place to get those??

Thanks for your time! ^^


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## chompy (Mar 24, 2006)

I think a better spot to check out is a river/stream or something like that. Lakes don't have tides that wash up wood like the ocean, so I don't know how much luck you'd have.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Really tyler? Well i usually find some great stuff up at the lake cause the wind carries everything to one side. Especially in a storm. 
Lots of stuff shows up at the bluffs but you usually have to walk pretty far down. 

I just needed to know if i had to take special steps before plunking it in the tank.. 
Thanks!


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## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

If it's been in the lake water, I'd take lots of special steps.

You'd really want to disinfect it, get rid of any rotten bits and soak is for a long time to remove any contaminants.

I'm not sure how you'd go about disinfecting it though - maybe thoroughly drying it is a good first step. I've heard that muriatic acid can help in getting rid of rotten parts. Again, this is all hearsay, so I can't say for sure.

Be careful!


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

i don't think i'd put anything in my aquarium that's been in lake ontario...yeeeuuuch!!! But if you decide to, use a bleach-water solution....soak for days....then soak in regular water for a loooong time, changing the water frequently.


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

I disinfect with Pottasium Permanganate. Soak for about 6 hrs and add Hydrogen peroxide to neutralize it. PP will kill most known aquatic pathogens. It is safe to use after neutralizing.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hmmm interesting..  Thanks guys for the help!

I might wait till the summer to grab some from the lake. Less Human poo in that lake..


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

*Play it safe!*
_
"If it ain't from tha sto', just say NO!"_



Hey Ciddian less human poo perhaps, but still lots of fun E. coli and lord knows what other toxic volatile compounds. Its so rediculously massively hugely obscenely not worth it I can't even begin to quantify in words how absurdly not worth the risk it is.

Its like climbing to the top of the CN tower, with an open aluminium umbrella and a tin foil body suit to grab a five dollar bill thats stuck on the top of it. During a thunderstorm, while being attacked by martians, a crocodile, and a nurse shark, on land, in the middle of a tornado, in December. And you have to listen to a non stop loop of "Don't you forget about me", the most cliche overplayed 80s song ever, over and over and over again the whole time you're doing it. And your hands are coated in motor oil so its hard to climb or fight off the crocodile nurse shark and martians... and so forth..


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## Westender (Mar 24, 2006)

Ciddian - don't worry about the nurse shark. They're considered pretty gentle and I don't think you have to worry about it attacking you.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

LOL.. Okay okay... i wont get lake ontario drift wood.. rofl.


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## Canadiancray (Apr 27, 2006)

Many people. Its not the 70's anymore. The lake isn't that dirty. I used to go diving in lake ontario all the time.


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## 66 north (Apr 10, 2006)

Canadiancray said:


> Many people. Its not the 70's anymore. The lake isn't that dirty. I used to go diving in lake ontario all the time.


Right, and driftwood is not a top predator as far as I know so it would not bioaccumulate toxins. Wash it off, be thorough if you want and put hyrdogen peroxide on it, let it dry, you will not have a problem.


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## EchoUnderwater (Nov 5, 2006)

For the big ones that don't fit in oven....after a scrub with stiff brush if needed, let it weather in the sun for the summer. Cover with black plastic and a couple rocks if your in a hurry. Takes a loooong time to waterlog some types. The chlorine in bleach does dissipitate if you hose it down and leave outside.

So everyone has their thing  . I can't buy what I can't find!


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Oohhh ty ^^


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

Hi everyone. 
Ciddian I would also be reluctant to get any wood from the lake because it is the central meeting point of everything nasty flowing out of the city. 

This being said I am being brave and attempting to use pieces of non-driftwood collected in the forest in Richmond Hill in my new 90g setup. I will put some pictures up eventually if it works out. So far its just hard to keep it down but 2 soaks in boiling water and it is tannin free. Although it is not as gnarled and crazy in shape as something shipped over from Asia it still looks nice and it didn't cost a thing.


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

JamesG said:


> Hi everyone.
> Ciddian I would also be reluctant to get any wood from the lake because it is the central meeting point of everything nasty flowing out of the city.
> 
> This being said I am being brave and attempting to use pieces of non-driftwood collected in the forest in Richmond Hill in my new 90g setup. I will put some pictures up eventually if it works out. So far its just hard to keep it down but 2 soaks in boiling water and it is tannin free. Although it is not as gnarled and crazy in shape as something shipped over from Asia it still looks nice and it didn't cost a thing.


What type of tree did it come from? I have an old dead Cedar tree that came down last summer. I am thinking of using the roots from this tree. 
Any thoughts?


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

moon said:


> What type of tree did it come from? I have an old dead Cedar tree that came down last summer. I am thinking of using the roots from this tree.
> Any thoughts?


I wish I knew, it was from a fallen tree that was still propped up on it's neighbour. There was still a little bit of bark remnant on it before I scrubbed it down that made me think it was a type of Birch (Silver, or paper I can't say for sure). I put a piece of it in my new 90 and it looks great. The two big pieces i still have are soaking in the bathtub (dont worry the shower is separate).

What do your cedar roots look like? I went trudging through the bush in Jefferson Forest when I visited my parents and did not find much that wasn't totally rotted out in the root department.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hey james, 

thanks so much for your advice...  I would really love to see how it looks when or if you get some photos.


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