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Re: sinking driftwood



John Lemons wrote:

>grrrrr...  i ordered some driftwood and buttonwood from a company 
>in florida, which specializes in tropical (non) aquatic plants, 
>but i asked them specifically if their product would sink or float 
>(i told them it'd be for an aquarium).  they said it'd sink.  well, 
>16 pieces arrived and they all float!  is there a relatively easy 
>way to "treat" this wood?  i don't want to have to send it back...  
>next time, i should be more aware of what "decorative" driftwood 
>means...

There are many Driftwood dealers but relatively few aquarium DW specalists.  
They may have sold you Mangrove derived wood.  Can't say for sure 
w/o seeing a sample.  If it is, then your only recourse is to boil it till it 
finally sinks.  At least you won't have to wait months  for it to be sinkable.
Please note; boiled DW will not last nearly as long submersed as
non-heat treated DW. 

The easy way to suggest avoiding the problem is to buy your driftwood 
from an aquarium specialist and pay the few extra bucks for shipping. 
A good rule of thumb before you buy, is to ask a few pointed questions 
beyond "will it sink?".  Such as, "Can you recommend costumers I can 
contact that are satisfied with your driftwood for aquarium use?"  or  
"How much does 12 inches of your DW weigh?".   If the answer is anything
 less than a pound, move on to another dealer.

Aquarium Plants & Driftwood
http://www.floridadriftwood.com