Soft Driftwood for Fishtanks?

[DazzleDiscus]

I've just recently wanted to put some driftwood in my main tank. My friend found a really nice looking piece when she went down to her mom's house. The only problem is that it's soft wood. I've heard it's not good for decor purposes. Anyone know why?

[Shadow]

hmm.. soft wood, it might rot faster, but I might be wrong

[DazzleDiscus]

Yeah, that's the only thing that I could think of. It did have some small chips coming off the back of it, but I've scrubbed them all away. I have it held underwater in another tank trying to get it to sink...

[ankank]

I've just recently wanted to put some driftwood in my main tank.

Be very cautious when introducing collected wood into your tank. No matter if it's hard or soft wood, if it's still alive and not cured, it may leach sap into the water, and it may rot. Both is disastrous to your water quality.

If anything, ocean driftwood can be used. Do not use driftwood from fresh water, i.e. lakes or rivers, because it may still contain bacteria and parasites.

[DazzleDiscus]

What would you recommend then? All my local pet shops don't sell nice driftwood, they look like logs cut with a chainsaw. If I wanted that look, I could just go in my backyard and pickup some firewood! lol!

[DazzleDiscus]

If I scrub it all down and boil it for a while, will that be enough to kill the bacteria and other living things?