What do I need to do before I put in driftwood?

I heard when you get driftwood you need to boil it. How long do I need to boil it to make it safe for my aquarium? Do I need to do anything else other than boil it?

 

did you buy it or pick it up some were?
regardless i would boil it for at least 10 mins to kill any bacteria in the wood.
it may turn your water brown, i had one that did for awhile, but after about a week the water was fime.
i stick with artificial wood, its easier to clean.
but also plecos love to suck the slime off driftwood

 

i read something that you have to put it in cold water for a exteded period of time or you can put it in hot water for a short time. somthing like that

 

Set it in a bucket of chilled water for about a week then boil it for 6 - 8 hours, if you dont mind you water beaing a bit brown then you can boil it for less.

 

will this cause ur aquarium water to turn brown or the water ur boiling it????????? also if it causes ur aquarium to go brown will that harm the fishes in anyway??????

 

no, it wont ahrm the fish and if you boil it down and let it sit for a few days, it usually gets all the tannings (the brown color) out of the wood so your tank wont turn brown.