# Boiling large driftwood... how I did it!



## Peter_biz (Nov 22, 2011)

Hello everyone.
I wanted to share this little story and a photo with the forum.

I recently acquired a large 120Gal aquarium and am in the process of setting up a planted tank.










I had my mind set on a large piece of stump&roots type driftwood. But alas no store sold such large pieces as what I pictured.

So I found a large piece in the wild that was ideal for my tank but then came the problem of how to boil and cure it and to leach out a good deal of the tannins. I remembered when I was a kid my Italian grandmother would annually make tomato sauce (what seamed like enough for the whole neighbourhood) When it came time to pasteurize the jars she used a special propane burner/stand and a large steel drum full of water and the glass jars of sauce.

I asked her about the burner and she still had it but no drum... So i found a drum on Kijiji for $20! And here you have it I am making a large batch of driftwood soup! 










For those curious I got about four 5hour boils out of one tank of propane.


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

This deserves a


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

better than "not bad"....Great pot. You can use it as a 1 person hot tub after.


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

Or maybe he'll start a boiling driftwood business. I know i'd pay to use some of the driftwood i find in the "wild"


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

More efficient for boiling big pieces than the method I used (big canning pot, boiled 1 half in the pot, poured/basted boiling water over the other half, then flipped it around, repeated) -- also better outside, so your whole kitchen and maybe house doesn't smell like a swamp!


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## Peter_biz (Nov 22, 2011)

Ha! Too funny. 

Weekdays I'll use it as my personal hot tub after the long workdays... but come the weekend it's driftwood boiling business full steam ahead!

I wonder if the burner is compatable with nat. gas so I can hook it into the house supply and not worry about the propane always running out. 

Will post a photo of the full piece of wood this weekend.


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## bluedog800 (Nov 24, 2010)

For $7 you could have a gauge for the tank
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=55008&cat=2,40733,40996,55008


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

the gauge is just a temp sensor strip. Where there is still propane, the tank will be cooler.


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## bluedog800 (Nov 24, 2010)

Riceburner said:


> the gauge is just a temp sensor strip. Where there is still propane, the tank will be cooler.


correct, dead simple, magnetic and cheap... what more can you ask for?


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## spas (Jan 12, 2012)

I would be interested if you offered a "boiling service". I recently acquired a jumbo piece of mopani (approx 18" wide by 28" long) and I have been boiling it in a xlarge lobster pot but i can only boil 1 half at a time.

I have it soaking in a large tote now but boiling would definitely speed up the process.

If I brought the wood and a tank of propane would you be interested 

Pm me....

Thanks,
Steve


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## Eric G (Jan 12, 2011)

Just watch your deck doesn't catch fire.


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## Peter_biz (Nov 22, 2011)

Here's the driftwood I've been boiling. It's nearly 4ft long and over 2ft tall. It will partially stick out of the tank but that is the plan.










When I have the burner running for over an hour the propane tank gets very cold and develops a sheet of ice on the outside up to the level of the fuel in the tank.... it acts as a natural fuel gauge. 

Don't worry about the deck... You cant quite see it in the photo but there is a tray of water under the burner to prevent excessive heat build up... the water in the tray only gets slightly warm.

SPAS PM sent.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

This is great thanks for sharing.

Where abouts did you find the wood and do you know what type it is?


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Depending on just how big the piece of wood is, I've had some success using my dishwasher for mopani wood. I put it on the sani cycle, which heats the water to about 160 F, then ran it on pots 'n pans cycle about 4 times. The last rinse water came out with barely any colour it in it all. No harm to the machine, I did make sure the wood was washed off first and tore off a couple of loose bits that might clog the macerator. Lots less work. Oh, no soap, btw. Just hot water.


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## spas (Jan 12, 2012)

I was also considering the DW method but then I thought of the Rise Aid - will that negatively affect the wood\fish? 



Fishfur said:


> Depending on just how big the piece of wood is, I've had some success using my dishwasher for mopani wood. I put it on the sani cycle, which heats the water to about 160 F, then ran it on pots 'n pans cycle about 4 times. The last rinse water came out with barely any colour it in it all. No harm to the machine, I did make sure the wood was washed off first and tore off a couple of loose bits that might clog the macerator. Lots less work. Oh, no soap, btw. Just hot water.


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

OK. The drum beats the dishwasher!

Only 'cause my wife would kill me for using it for fish stuff. I'm treading on thin ice just having tanks in the house anyways. I've gotta keep in the good books to slide the empty 120g(hiding in the garage) onto the main floor as my show tank! Hehe!


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Well, it's my dishwasher, I can beat it up if I like. Seeing as I just paid a repair guy about $200. to find and remove a TINY piece of beat up white plastic from the check valve, which was preventing said dishwasher from draining, I suspect your wife is saving you a fat repair bill .


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

Lucky Guy! I wish I had my own dishwasher, then I can do whatever I want with it! Like boil driftwood!

You don't know how good you have it!



Fishfur said:


> Well, it's my dishwasher, I can beat it up if I like. Seeing as I just paid a repair guy about $200. to find and remove a TINY piece of beat up white plastic from the check valve, which was preventing said dishwasher from draining, I suspect your wife is saving you a fat repair bill .


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## kirby (Oct 26, 2012)

Great stuff! If you do not have access to a drum you can get four large pots boiling on a stove top and steam the wood in the steam produced. follow this up with a nice hot shower for your drift wood and it should be tannin free


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