Some aquarists would choose driftwood as a furnishing element for their tanks. The appropriate is a piece of dead wood, which stayed under water for a long time. Plus it must be well prepared preliminarily.
It is recommended to choose a piece of a dried tree root with an odd form or which consists of a complicated tangle of branches. The appropriate sorts of wood are those that are resistant to decay in water and are free from toxins. The best woods are: willow, black poplar, walnut and hard sorts of fruit-trees (pear-tree, etc.). The most steadfast are willow and black poplar driftwoods that have stayed for a long time in a river, a lake or a bog. You have a chance to find such at the river or lake banks after the flood.
Before using it as a decoration the driftwood must be well processed.
1st method. The bark should be taken off, rotten particles should be cleaned out. After this the future decor is boiled in an enamel bowel at least for 1 hr (depending on the size of the branch) in a saturated solution of salt. Bactericidal agents are not needed, since the wood after boiling procedure is sterile. Then the driftwood is put in fresh water and boiled for 3 to 4 hrs.
2nd method. With this method any sort of wood, dead or live, except for conifer wood, caters for. The best are roots and branches of pussy-willow or other kind of willow.
The dirt must be rinsed off, and the bark - taken off. Then with a saw and knife the desired shape is put to the driftwood. The billet is placed in to an electric or a gas stove and is annealed for 2-3 hrs at a temperature 392-482 ?F. Higher temperature is not recommended because the branches and protruding parts of driftwood may get charred.
During these 2-3 hrs the wood will lose the whole water, and (this is very important) the inner layers of wood will undergo a complete sterilization. The surface of the driftwood will acquire a fine red color.
The further procedures repeat the traditional (1st) method: the wood is placed in a saturated solution of salt and is boiled and then is boiled in fresh water. Adding potassium permanganate (one tablespoon per 10 liters of water) provides even the better result: the substance is bactericidal and gives a more intensive coloring to the wood.
Before placing the prepared driftwood into the tank some more procedures should be done: cooling, rinsing and soaking in a bucket (1-2 days) to avoid an infusorial splash. The ready driftwood is good to be a decor.
To prevent drifting, the wood is fastened by resting its top end on the horizontal framework of the tank or by tying it with a fishing line to a Plexiglas plate, which is positioned at the tank bottom and is hold by pebbles and sand.
If in several days you notice the white coating on the driftwood this means the decor was prepared incorrectly.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).