HOW TO PREPARE, CURE, AND PLACE DRIFTWOOD IN YOUR AQUARIUM

Driftwood can be a valuable addition to your aquarium, but whether or not you need it really hinges on the species of fish you plan to keep and your personal aesthetic choices. Some fish thrive in environments enriched with driftwood, as it mimics their natural habitats and provides hiding spots, while others may not benefit as much. This article will delve into the essential aspects of driftwood, including its purpose in aquariums, the correct methods to prepare and cure it, and the best practices for placement. By the end of your reading, you should have a clearer understanding of whether incorporating driftwood into your setup is the right choice for both your aquatic pets and your overall design vision.

What is driftwood?

Driftwood is wood that has been washed over through a beach, river, or a lake or landscape or timber shop by action of flooding, high winds, or other natural occurrences, or man cut wood wastes or as the result of logging. Most of them are the remains of trees, in whole or in part, and generally found on seashores or river/ lake banks. They can be in any shape but normally share the similarity of gray, brown gnarled and weathered-looking.

Aquarium Driftwood can be used for many purposes, as parts of decorative furniture or other art forms, or simply aqua scaping material which is also our focus of the discussion today.

How come your aquarium needs driftwood?

Your aquarium needs it not only for aesthetic reasons, but also because your aquatic creatures may also need it.

Driftwood provides a Home for your live fish. When they feel insecure or stressed, they can hide there. In addition, driftwood can be a place for them to find food, especially for creatures that are considered algae-eating creatures.

How to Treat, Prepare, cure, and place driftwood in an aquarium?

Driftwood not only decorative material in your aquarium. Thus, sketching allows you to imagine its suitable placement and how it can blend in with other objects. This will help you avoid unnecessary adjustments later, and will also help you easily visualize your desired aquascape without disturbing your well-established aquarium. To do this you should define:

• The type and shape of driftwood you want to place in the aquarium, whether they are placed vertically or horizontally, how big they are, whether they can be placed in a corner or in the middle of the aquarium you should think first and work accordingly.

• Other decorative items (if any), whether they are combined with aquatic plants Such as Rocks, artificial caves, Tank decors how to arrange them with driftwood to create a unique landscape. If you don't have any specific ideas, you can refer to relevant driftwood aquarium design websites to determine your aquascaping style.

Cleaning Rough Driftwood

Cleaning your driftwood is a must, Even if you buy it in specialized stores. Your newly bought driftwood may remain dirt or debris which may cause changes in water conditions of your aquarium. To reduce this risk, cleaning should not be skipped. Use a clean brush to gently brush the driftwood to remove dirt and debris. Do not use soap or chemical cleaners as the residue will contaminate your aquarium.

Cleaned driftwood must be soaked to saturate and rinse.

Boiling Driftwood

This is optional, but recommended. Boiling driftwood has a number of benefits. Among other things, it helps flush out more tannins faster, sterilizes driftwood, and kills algae or fungal spores. The process is not complicated. All you need to do is boil the driftwood for 30 min to 1 hours. sometimes too much boiling the driftwood skills driftwood structure. We suggested to boil in minutes with low flame.

Curing Driftwood

Put your driftwood in a large bucket and let it submerged underwater for a minimum period of 1-2 weeks. Make sure the entire piece is completely underwater. Checking the soaking regularly to see if water change is needed. If the water is darkened, empty all of the water and gently rinse the driftwood. Then, fill the bucket with clean dechlorinated or RO water and continue soaking the driftwood. Repeat this process until you no longer notice any significant discoloration for several days in a row.

Now, your driftwood is ready for Aquarium decoration.

Have a Beautiful Aquascapes !!

Thank you :)