Cory Lover

These days, aquarium decor is expensive. It can really hurt your bank account, so to speak. But there's a secret that will save you lots of money....'found' rocks and driftwood.

Rocks

Rocks are something that are natural, safe (most are), and you can find them almost anywhere.
Most people say rocks you find are NOT safe for aquariums, but unless they break off easily or are rusty, they are most likely safe. Many petstores don't want you to know this since they would rather you pay for rocks at their store that they will claim as 'safe', even if the ones you can find are just as safe normally.

Before you put them in your tank, get a scrub brush and scrub them very well, and if anything other then dirt comes off, don't use them. Then soak them in hot water with some soap. Rinse them off very well, and put them in your tank. Simple.

Driftwood

Driftwood can be mighty expensive at stores. Since it is such a cool decor item and is in high demand, petstores have marked it up to an unreasonable price in many places. But, there is a solution....finding your own driftwood. Many stores say this is a 'taboo' and that only their driftwood is safe, but this is wrong. If you are willing to do a little bit of work, finding driftwood is a much better option then buying it.

Driftwood can be found along many streams/rivers, or ever in lakes. Look in your local area for good places for driftwood. Once you have found some driftwood pieces you like, inspect them very carefully. Make sure they do not have: soft spots, resin/bark, and pointy/sharp edges or slivery pieces sticking out. Bring the pieces that have passed the first test back with you and start rinsing them throroughly. After rinsing, you will be better able to see which ones you like and if some have any undesirable features. As said above, make sure there are no soft spots, since this can lead to rotting easily.

Next, boil the pieces a few times to kill anything that may be on them, and (if you can) put them through the dishwasher a couple times (without dishwasher soap of course!). Rinse them again. No debris/dirt should be coming off them. If it is, you need to do more cleaning. Once the driftwood is clean, place it in your tank and attach rock weights to it or place rocks on top of it, to keep the wood from floating. After a while, the driftwood will become water logged and you can remove all weights.

Note: 1) Do not use cedar wood, as this can leach harmful toxins into the water. Cedar has a distinctive smell, so it is easy to tell if it is it or not. 2) If the wood releases some tannins into your tank, that is fine since this is not harmful to your fish. If it really discolors the water, you should boil it a few more times.



I hope you enjoyed this article and realized you don't have to pay big bucks for great natural decor!

Matt