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I found a place on eBay that seems to have some really good prices on some really great drift wood. I have a question though. Some of the drift wood turns the water a reddish color which i would like would that be a problem for turtles. Also does any one know if it might permanently stain the tank?

I think you are supposed to soak the driftwood for a while before you put it in the tank. I don't know what would happen if you didn't.

yea I've heard the soaking helps get rid of it tinting the water. I've never heard of it staining the tank permanently but I would soak it first to be sure.
I need to find some driftwood. It's SOOO pricey though. I really love the look however.

The wood is leaching tannins, which might look unslightly, but won't hurt your turtles. If it leaches a lot, soak it for several days, changing the water periodically when it gets really dark. I usually will put it in the tank when it makes the water a light tan color. The leaching will stop in time, and if you use carbon in your filter, it will help with the color as well.

Can I just go out to a local river and get driftwood? Seems cheaper that way.. And a lot more fun. And risky.

Risky, yeah. They can house pests or parasites so you need to either bleach them using a very mild solution of chlorine (for like 20 minutes) followed by several long soaks in fresh water with water conditioner to remove all traces of the chlorine, followed by a few days drying outside in the sun. Make sure you cannot smell any chlorine in the wood before putting it into the turtle's cage. Or you can bake it in a big oven (make sure it doesn't catch fire!).

Try to get a good solid piece of wood that does not have any rot on it.

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