Simply buying driftwood form a store, online or local, is not enough to ensure that it will really enhance the beauty of the aquatic landscape and stay as good as it looks for a long time. For this you have to make sure that it is properly cured and prepared. Hurried preparation or short time soaking may still contain tannins in the driftwood that will be released in the water damaging the beauty and making the entire aquarium unsafe for the fishes. Therefore, make sure that it is free from fungus and algae and have minimum or no buoyancy.
It is true that most Manzanita Driftwood will stay submerged but there may be some that may still be buoyant and float in water. It must be made waterlogged by fully saturating it by soaking it for as long as possible in a large bucket.
Make sure that the entire piece of driftwood is underwater throughout the soaking period. Ideally, soaking driftwood for a couple of weeks is best to ensure complete and total saturation and to be absolutely buoyant free.
Take Care Of The Water:
A lot of care has to be taken during the curing and preparation process of the driftwood to claim that it is an Aquarium Driftwood free from tannins, algae and fungus. All these will reduce the pH balance of the water in the fish tank. Take care that the water must be changed regularly, if needed, during soaking. If you see dark color water, change it and also rinse the driftwood gently. Add fresh de-chlorinated water to continue soaking the driftwood till there is no discoloration indicating that the driftwood is ready for placement.
