how do i prep driftwood for aquarium use & get it to sink?

You can tie or silicon it to a heavy piece of slate, or you can just place the piece of slate or rock on top of it until it becomes water logged and stays under on its own. Keep in mind that it may take weeks, months, or years before your piece becomes so saturated with water that it sinks. Also, the driftwood will leach tannins for the first few months or so turning your water a yellowish, brown hue. You can combat this by using active carbon in your filters.

 

yeah that should be fine, just be sure you followed the procedure of sterilizing it (if you got it in the wild) or washing it if its store bought.

 

If I were you I would either, boil it, pour boiling water over it, or bake it, before putting it in my tank. I try not to trust other people when putting things into my tank to ensure I dont pick up any illnesses.

 

I would boil it for however long you see fit, minute or two should be alright to kill the bacteria, you can speed up the leaching process by boiling it longer. If you want you can soak it in hot water for a few days (changing the water every 6 hours) to further help speed along the leaching process.

 

I mean thats all relative to that particular piece of wood, if its a hardwood it may sink right off the bat, also if its been in the other person's tank for a while it might already sink.

 

I have a piece of manzanita that has been in one of my tanks for almost a year and it still has to be held down with a rock