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Has anyone used driftwood in their setups??? I bought some small pieces and thought it would go with my "natural" setup. I've read up on how to prepare it but now I'm wondering if its safe for them. They say to boil, reboil and keep boiling until all the tannins are out of the wood...

Just want to make sure its safe before I put it in, so any help or comments are appreciated. Need to keep the babies safe

if you boil the wood 3 times i would say it is safe. just be carfull when you take it out of the boiling water. (dont want to get burned).

LOL.. I think I'm old enough to know how to deal with boiling water.. but Thanks

I've boiled it more than 3 times and the water is still very dark. Like very dark tea.

cam722 wrote:LOL.. I think I'm old enough to know how to deal with boiling water.. but Thanks

I've boiled it more than 3 times and the water is still very dark. Like very dark tea.

I think it's not a problem since it's natural for the water to be dark when you try to boil wood.

I used to have driftwood, but took it out. After a few months it got really gross with algae and white stuff growing on it. I would take it out, clean it really well, and within a few hours of it being in the tank it was full of crap again

yeah I have feeling I'm going to scrape that idea.. good thing it wasn't a lot of money. The more I've read about it the more I realize its a BAD idea.. it tends to create problems and uses up the filter media rather quickly not to mention making the water murky and all the algae problems.. oh well

It's not a good idea to boil wood--it will break down the cellulose in it, and cause the wood to disintegrate more quickly and develop cracks.

The tannins, while not that pretty to look at, aren't bad for the turt. And in time, they won't turn the water the color of tea.

I've never had good luck with wood in the tank--earlier this year I tried some pieces of grapevine from T-Rex in the tank (looked like driftwood). It looked really nice and the turts liked to bask on it. After about a week, though, I noticed the part that was exposed to water was covered with a pale green jelly-like film. The wood had to be constantly cleaned and dried to keep the film from reappearing. I since found out that grapevine isn't recommmended for tanks with high humidity.

Now if you want a natural look, consider corkbark...

actually what I got was grapewood... but all the sites I read said to boil it. Oh well, not going to use it in the tank anyway. I was also thinking of cork bark so I'm looking for that now

I'll bet it was what I had (the grapevine). Not good for high-humidity habitats/water. I still use it for an outdoor set-up, though. It rests on rocks and is only in the water when the turts are outside; it's take out of the tank to dry when the tank isn't being used.

so marisa ur sure the tanins will not hurt my turtles? how do u know this? and that is why im getting the orangish water?

Yes, I'm sure tannins will not hurt your turtle (you could save me a little work and do a search on the subject if you don't believe me). They actually make the water slightly more acidic, which is good if the water is more alkaline. Don't know about the orange water--what kind of wood are you using, what else is in the tank, does your water have a high rust content?

VWALEXVW wrote:so marisa ur sure the tanins will not hurt my turtles? how do u know this? and that is why im getting the orangish water?

I'm wondering why you're cross posting after we answered this question yesterday in another thread.

this guy man...listen u told me not to cross post and all that and dont make new topics, or make new topics wen u cant find something, then u sent me here to check one of the problems i had, and now ur still being a problem,,,,do ur job check yourself before you keep checking my [----] got it?

marisa wrote:Yes, I'm sure tannins will not hurt your turtle (you could save me a little work and do a search on the subject if you don't believe me).

VWALEXVW: Marisa who is usually one of the most patient people here is basically saying in that post to look up things for yourself. You ask for help and when you're given that help you look for another answer like what you were told isn't correct. Either you accept the help given or you find the answers for yourself.

Now instead of ranting about something someone said that you're taking offense to.. either answer the questions a person has asked you so they can help you further.. i.e. Marisa asking if your water has a high rust content. or just move on.

marisa wrote:Yes, I'm sure tannins will not hurt your turtle (you could save me a little work and do a search on the subject if you don't believe me). They actually make the water slightly more acidic, which is good if the water is more alkaline. Don't know about the orange water--what kind of wood are you using, what else is in the tank, does your water have a high rust content?

thanks for ur answer..phew i thought it could be hurting them, no everything in the tank is brand spanking new, the wood came from the store specifically cleaned for this type, the tank is a 40 gallon breeder.