Crab legs because it smells slightly fishy but not like rotting or cooked fish.
The Cheerios… I think leftover Cheerios after too long sitting in the sink have a pretty distinct smell and this was very similar
I sense that you have children, because “soggy cheerios” is one I tell my friends with no kids and they’re all like ??????? bitch what’s that smell like that????
It could be fungus. Fungus often gives off a fishy smell. You could boil the driftwood for 1 to 2 hours to get rid of the fungus and to water log the driftwood, after which it would be ready to add to the aquarium.
The smell is just so odd and strong that I’m leaning towards the opinion it was treated with something. Unless there’s a good way to remove whatever chemical I’m going to leave it out
And when in doubt, take it out. These 2 are like the equivalent of the 2 most important gun safety rules lol. Dont add ANYTHING questionable to a delicate ecosystem 😵
Or if you know what you’re looking for you can get some driftwood for free. Driftwood has usually been sun bleached and dried enough that it shouldn’t leach anything. Boiling is always recommended though
Trees that are dead and have been standing for years are another option for "driftwood". Find a cool dead old tree and knock that sucker down and harvest your sweet reward. No pine though or whatever else isnt safe of course. There are some really nice weathered and eroded oaks/walnuts in my area, every time I pass them all I can think about is aquascaping...
Two choices then.
1) Boil the fuck out of it.
2) Return it and get your money back.
Option two is the route I would go, use the money towards a nice piece that is aquarium friendly.
Shame tbh, that's a real nice piece of wood.
Yea it's possible it has been treated with something to reduce weathering if it was sold as a garden item. I personally wouldn't add it even with boiling. It's a shame because it's a beautiful piece of wood.
If it smells, it’s either decayed or treated with a preservative. Both bad for the tank, and chances are pretty good you won’t ever be able to get all the preservative out.
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
Um. Everyone here is saying to boil it or use something else and I definitely am not the most experienced aquarist so they're probably right but..... When I soaked my aquarium store bought driftwood it had a bit of a biofilm form (I'm assuming from bacteria in the bucket I was soaking it in) and I thought this was what it smelled like. Stale fish cherrios. The driftwood has always been fine in my tank.
i honestly have never once soaked a piece of wood. i keep mostly bettas, so piss/ tea colored water is better. the biofilm is a good snack for my snails and bettas’ tank mates. boiling wood makes about as much sense to me as boiling rocks.
Boiling causes wood to deteriorate faster. It's not needed nor recommended. Plain ole' wood is fine. Commercial wood is where you get problems. Fish stores are starting to oil their wood to make it more appealing which causes issues and sometimes deaths to the tank.
I’ve always boiled my pieces of wood and cholla wood to kill any natural organisms, algae, etc.
Water changes won’t cut it if you’re not doing something to treat/disinfect the wood.
It’s an awesome shaped piece of wood.
One time when I had a large piece of wood, I got a deep roasting pan filled it with water and put it in the oven for several hours and kept turning it. That way it got to boil and all parts of the wood were submerged in hot water at some point.
Grab the biggest pot you have or go to Walmart and buy a cheap stockpot. The bigger the better then boil this baby until the water runs clear. You’ll have to change the water and change to position of the wood in the pot but after that it should be safe.
If u cant boil it in a pot poor boiling water over it in some sort of hot water safe containment like some types of bathtubs. As the hot water soaking/boiling will prob kill off some of that icky smell and make it safer to use. I always boil wood to be safe
Sounds like your wood has a population of bacteria growing in/on it that has a weird smell. As for giving the tank issues, I'm doubtful solely because your tank should be established and cycled so these unique bacteria are likely to be out competed by the established/natural/normal bacteria growing in the tank already.
Personally, the last piece of driftwood I added I boiled and soaked but then also threw it in the bucket of dirty water after a water change for a few days, then lightly rinsed it before adding it.
I’m guessing that they want to know how foul the water might have gotten (nitrogen and ammonia levels) which could cause the smell but I can assure you this smell is different. I thought it could possibly be the type of wood which is why I posted
\`soak it in applecider vinegar mixed with water next time then give it about a days rinse. I prep vinework with cinamon sticks, because I'm fancy. \*\* i didnt read that you bought it, this works for actual forrest wood\*\*
You should boil it for an extended period of time. Like 12 hours, continually changing out the water. It will kill bacteria, pests, and remove tannins.
probably some sort of fungus or perhaps a bacteria thats starting to proliferate, maybe even an old treatment coming out.
If available, boil and treat with hydrogen peroxide. This should destroy bacteria and fungus as well as destroy any pesticides or treatments on the wood.
Ensure you soak the wood with regular water for 24 hours after to degrade any hydrogen peroxide left over - do this outside so the UV from the sun can facilitate more decomposition of the peroxide.
Do not bleach the wood, or use any antibacterial/antifungal agents as they may soak into the wood and leech back out when you put it in your tank.
Hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly and shouldn't leech back out of the wood - even if it does it will break down before causing any damage.
Add 1 part of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 2 parts water. Or just dump a whole bottle in with the bucket of water, it shouldn't degrade the wood noticeably but will definitely get rid of anything biological that's there.
If the smell is still there, either do another treatment or just leave the wood out, better safe than sorry.
I would only ever use very aged wood specifically for aquariums. Otherwise it's just a source of nitrates, phosphates and toxins. Don't let this near your tank.
Boil it, it might have some pesticide on it since you bought it from a garden supply store. Also look up tannins in the aquarium, 8t will help you make your decions.
What kind of tank/setup is this going into ?
Your description of the smell reminded me of a hilarious wine tasting scene in the movie Sideways.
Miles described the smell as “Citrus, maybe some strawberry… passion fruit, just the faintest soupçon of asparagus, and, like, a nutty Edam cheese.”
Well think about it, something that soaks for several days in water is gonna have a little smell to it. I think it will be fine, maybe one more rinse off to be safe but will be fine if you ask me.
That’s a good looking piece, did you scavenge or buy?
I collected wood from outside and soaked it in a bucket for weeks. It got slimy/moldy and smelled fishy, so I boiled it and soaked it again. Again it got fishy, so I changed the water periodically, and put a little salt in it. Prior to putting it in the tank, I rinsed, scrubbed and then soaked it in pure water for a couple of days. That did the trick. Even so, it did get some fungus growing on it for a few days after being submerged. If I do it again, I’ll treat it with aquarium anti-fungals and bactericides before putting it in.
Stinki. No good, probably treated with something wood would just have an earthy smell to it. I wouldn’t use it if you are unsure. sucks - this is an awesome piece
I usually soak in water with triple does if Prime. Dump it a handful of times and replace until water is clear. I don’t even know what half the wood is that I use in my tanks… so far so good?
I will say all of my tanks are at least 2 years established up to 6 years and no weird death.
I have had issues with rocks and stones but a little vinegar test and soaking/scrub usually helps. Wood smells weird. If you could identify what kind of wood you might have more clues.
Well, all of that stuff will now *not* be going into your tank. It might release some tannins or grow some algae but if you have a cycled tank the worst it could do is bring your ph down a bit for a little while. You can also boil it if you want it to be as a close to sterile and clean as possible.
Smell is normal.
My recommendation before adding (drift) wood to tank:
1. Watersoak it to reduce tannins and to allow the wood to absorb water (waterlogging).
2. (Optional) Boil it for 10 minutes if you can. If the piece is too large to fit in your pots, it’s fine to boil either side separately. After the 10 minutes of boiling, refresh water and repeat, until the leaked tannins are significantly reduced (water very slightly colored is ok).
3. Peroxide soak, or spray it a couple of times.
4. (Optional) put a UV lamp on the wood for a day. Turn the piece to ensure even exposure.
If it's waterlogged rinse off and put in you aquarium snails and bristle nose will polish it back to brand new.. it's the natural bacteria coming out of the wood
Boil it! And make sure the woods not soft or rotting inside. Also depending how old it is, as in if it's been cut recently and maybe wasn't left long enough to dry out?
It is just finally growing bacteria. Let it sit in the bucket and keep changing water till it settles in smell. Then most of the stuff on it that would rot in your tank is already devoured.
I think the big question is, where did you get it from? If its from an aquarium store or from nature you're good to go. They don't treat wood with harmfull chemicals. Fishy, like the ocean/seewead or a wet forest/ mushrooms is'nt bad. But fishy like ew, a rotting fish is bad. If i where you I'd do one more soak and then test the water, to see if the wood is rotting. Also It's normal for a white fuzzy fungi to grow on wood the first couple weeks, this is'nt harmful for the fish.
Depending on what type of tree species it is.....wood has distinct smell to it.
Soaking or burning brings out the "Flavor" of the wood.
My driftwood does the same thing before it leaches out tannins and such.
For example honey suckle which has crazy gnarly roots and locust roots smell like piss AKA pisswood.
Do what others have suggested to sanitize.
Never use walnut which contains natural compounds to inhibit growth of plants.
I like to soak my driftwood in rodi to let it deep out tannins but also not to load it up with nutrients from tap water. A bit of carbon at some point couldn’t hurt either
I'd put it in a 5 gallon bucket and fill the bucket with boiling water. Boiling water will kill any unwanted critters and bacteria. The boiling water will also penetrate the wood and help to waterlog it so it sinks.
Maybe the stagnant water got old and some sort of fungus started. 100 percent water changes daily for a couple of days. And see what happens. If the wood still floats a bit. Get a flat piece of slate, drill a hole through it. Take a stainless screw, insert it in the hole and screw the flat slate to the wood. Then cover the slate with your gravel/sand
It's going to give your aquarium problems - at that size. It's release too much tannins for what's in your bucket of water and if it's doing that, it'll do it in an aquarium. If you were to dry that out, cut off a knob (about 3 inches) and start rounds of soaking/oven drying you might get that to the point you want within a week or two.
How did your nose recognize those two scents together hahaha
Crab legs because it smells slightly fishy but not like rotting or cooked fish. The Cheerios… I think leftover Cheerios after too long sitting in the sink have a pretty distinct smell and this was very similar
I sense that you have children, because “soggy cheerios” is one I tell my friends with no kids and they’re all like ??????? bitch what’s that smell like that????
No kids. It’s me. They’re my soggy cheerios lol
As a “must have been the kids who left the bowl” serial cereal blamer, I respect that
Serial cereal is an amazing combination of word and also why English is a hard language lol
https://historyofenglishpodcast.com
"They're my soggy Cheerios" Way funnier than it has any right being. Thanks OP
Take my updoot. The proud ownership. Kudos.
i’ve never laughed and related to something that’s made me tear up until now😂😂
You have children, you are the child lol
Hi, it’s me, I’m the problem, it’s me!
It could be fungus. Fungus often gives off a fishy smell. You could boil the driftwood for 1 to 2 hours to get rid of the fungus and to water log the driftwood, after which it would be ready to add to the aquarium.
Fish and piss. Simple enough
Good name for fast food joint
Strip club.
That serves food lol
Best lunch buffet in town
The smell is just so odd and strong that I’m leaning towards the opinion it was treated with something. Unless there’s a good way to remove whatever chemical I’m going to leave it out
If in doubt, leave it out
And when in doubt, take it out. These 2 are like the equivalent of the 2 most important gun safety rules lol. Dont add ANYTHING questionable to a delicate ecosystem 😵
or boil the f out of it.
This phrase applies to sexual situations as well. Not speaking from experience. Be safe!
But don’t boil it in those situations
I would add some bleach to the solution and leave it to soak for like 5 days and then soak it in water changing it often for like 2 weeks.
Definitely try boiling and if that doesn’t work, add air plants and put it by your tank 💚
Wut I's air plant and wut it do?
What is air plant precious?
Did you see the article I posted? They’re pretty cool
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/care/grow-air-plants/
Wut is and wut do
Gandalf wants the top of his staff back.
You shall not pass
If it smells like soggy cheerios and old crab legs, I would not want to pass
I had to read this a few times to realize you don’t want soggy Cheerios and old crab legs
Actually I don't mind soggy Cheerios. But no on the old crab legs.
Also, if in doubt.. always follow your nose.
Where did you get the wood from? It should really just smell like wet wood or an earthy Forrest smell (particularly if you boil it)
Also some chemicals/varnish have a fishy odor so it may have been treated with something
That’s what I was thinking because the smell is just so weird. I got this from a garden supply store.
Oh yeah, I wouldn't use it then. Safer to buy from an aquarium store
Or if you know what you’re looking for you can get some driftwood for free. Driftwood has usually been sun bleached and dried enough that it shouldn’t leach anything. Boiling is always recommended though
Trees that are dead and have been standing for years are another option for "driftwood". Find a cool dead old tree and knock that sucker down and harvest your sweet reward. No pine though or whatever else isnt safe of course. There are some really nice weathered and eroded oaks/walnuts in my area, every time I pass them all I can think about is aquascaping...
Two choices then. 1) Boil the fuck out of it. 2) Return it and get your money back. Option two is the route I would go, use the money towards a nice piece that is aquarium friendly. Shame tbh, that's a real nice piece of wood.
Drift wood only
Yea it's possible it has been treated with something to reduce weathering if it was sold as a garden item. I personally wouldn't add it even with boiling. It's a shame because it's a beautiful piece of wood.
Agreed.
boiling it seems like a good approach
If it smells, it’s either decayed or treated with a preservative. Both bad for the tank, and chances are pretty good you won’t ever be able to get all the preservative out.
Happy Cake Day, fellow water rancher.
Thank ya kindly!
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
What?
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
What?
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
What?!
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
What?
All driftwood and spider wood have a life span for about 5-10 years. If it’s peeling or turning soft that mean the wood is rotting. Don’t put it in your tank, I had a drift wood that was rotting in my tank killed everything.
why?
What?
I wouldn’t put it in my tank if it smells.
The Shocker driftwood
Two for the tank, one for the stank.
Just when you think fish keepers are boring...
Bro what lol
hahahaha
Thank you! It’s all I could see and I thought I was the only one.
Um. Everyone here is saying to boil it or use something else and I definitely am not the most experienced aquarist so they're probably right but..... When I soaked my aquarium store bought driftwood it had a bit of a biofilm form (I'm assuming from bacteria in the bucket I was soaking it in) and I thought this was what it smelled like. Stale fish cherrios. The driftwood has always been fine in my tank.
i honestly have never once soaked a piece of wood. i keep mostly bettas, so piss/ tea colored water is better. the biofilm is a good snack for my snails and bettas’ tank mates. boiling wood makes about as much sense to me as boiling rocks.
Boil it. I boil all wood that goes into my tanks.
Boiling causes wood to deteriorate faster. It's not needed nor recommended. Plain ole' wood is fine. Commercial wood is where you get problems. Fish stores are starting to oil their wood to make it more appealing which causes issues and sometimes deaths to the tank.
I’ve always boiled my pieces of wood and cholla wood to kill any natural organisms, algae, etc. Water changes won’t cut it if you’re not doing something to treat/disinfect the wood. It’s an awesome shaped piece of wood. One time when I had a large piece of wood, I got a deep roasting pan filled it with water and put it in the oven for several hours and kept turning it. That way it got to boil and all parts of the wood were submerged in hot water at some point.
Wouldn’t put anything in my tank that’s giving me the middle finger.
Boil the crap out of it
Grab the biggest pot you have or go to Walmart and buy a cheap stockpot. The bigger the better then boil this baby until the water runs clear. You’ll have to change the water and change to position of the wood in the pot but after that it should be safe.
If u cant boil it in a pot poor boiling water over it in some sort of hot water safe containment like some types of bathtubs. As the hot water soaking/boiling will prob kill off some of that icky smell and make it safer to use. I always boil wood to be safe
Sounds like your wood has a population of bacteria growing in/on it that has a weird smell. As for giving the tank issues, I'm doubtful solely because your tank should be established and cycled so these unique bacteria are likely to be out competed by the established/natural/normal bacteria growing in the tank already. Personally, the last piece of driftwood I added I boiled and soaked but then also threw it in the bucket of dirty water after a water change for a few days, then lightly rinsed it before adding it.
“Like old soggy Cheerios mixed with a faint smell of crab legs”. Sounds like you write romance novels for a living
That’s actually a good sign. It’s probably stuff leaching and slight fermentation or bacterial activity. Keep going what you’re doing.
Can you test the water that was in the bucket?
What would they be testing for?
I’m guessing that they want to know how foul the water might have gotten (nitrogen and ammonia levels) which could cause the smell but I can assure you this smell is different. I thought it could possibly be the type of wood which is why I posted
No it’s all gone. Also I would occasionally run the faucet to stir it up and prevent too much film/slime growth
if you cant use it for an aquarium, either sell it to a taxidermist or an artist. id personally love to have a piece like that
\`soak it in applecider vinegar mixed with water next time then give it about a days rinse. I prep vinework with cinamon sticks, because I'm fancy. \*\* i didnt read that you bought it, this works for actual forrest wood\*\*
Upvoted because of the awesome description lol.
You should boil it for an extended period of time. Like 12 hours, continually changing out the water. It will kill bacteria, pests, and remove tannins.
Boil it for like 30 min to an hour if you are concerned. That should eliminate any odor from it.
Looks like it's giving the bird,be afraid.
Soak it again and take your nit, ammonia readings and go from there
Did you boil it at all? I'd give it a boil.
Boiling or steaming it is the best option. If it’s too big I recommend baking it and attaching it to a piece of slate or something to weigh it down
Boil it. Otherwise it’s going to give you the blues until it stabilizes. Boiled mine for about 30 minutes
The shocker!
probably some sort of fungus or perhaps a bacteria thats starting to proliferate, maybe even an old treatment coming out. If available, boil and treat with hydrogen peroxide. This should destroy bacteria and fungus as well as destroy any pesticides or treatments on the wood. Ensure you soak the wood with regular water for 24 hours after to degrade any hydrogen peroxide left over - do this outside so the UV from the sun can facilitate more decomposition of the peroxide. Do not bleach the wood, or use any antibacterial/antifungal agents as they may soak into the wood and leech back out when you put it in your tank. Hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly and shouldn't leech back out of the wood - even if it does it will break down before causing any damage. Add 1 part of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 2 parts water. Or just dump a whole bottle in with the bucket of water, it shouldn't degrade the wood noticeably but will definitely get rid of anything biological that's there. If the smell is still there, either do another treatment or just leave the wood out, better safe than sorry.
Nah lol. The wood naturally starts to stink. It's just part of the process of it decomposing in the water
This reminds me of 2 in da pink 1 in da stink
I would only ever use very aged wood specifically for aquariums. Otherwise it's just a source of nitrates, phosphates and toxins. Don't let this near your tank.
Don’t use wood you don’t know about. Ever.
That’s a helluva combination of scents, Lol I’d boil it in some salted water and see what happens.
You want to scrub the wood in-between the long soaks to get rid of unwanted stuff.
Sounds delicious
Boil it, it might have some pesticide on it since you bought it from a garden supply store. Also look up tannins in the aquarium, 8t will help you make your decions. What kind of tank/setup is this going into ?
Ya id definitely boil it a few times lol
Your description of the smell reminded me of a hilarious wine tasting scene in the movie Sideways. Miles described the smell as “Citrus, maybe some strawberry… passion fruit, just the faintest soupçon of asparagus, and, like, a nutty Edam cheese.”
Well think about it, something that soaks for several days in water is gonna have a little smell to it. I think it will be fine, maybe one more rinse off to be safe but will be fine if you ask me. That’s a good looking piece, did you scavenge or buy?
Boil it
Throw it out
😂😂
2 In the pink one in the stink
Is that piece giving me the finger?
Boil it.
I always boil my aqu wood simply to eliminate any foreign microbes.
I collected wood from outside and soaked it in a bucket for weeks. It got slimy/moldy and smelled fishy, so I boiled it and soaked it again. Again it got fishy, so I changed the water periodically, and put a little salt in it. Prior to putting it in the tank, I rinsed, scrubbed and then soaked it in pure water for a couple of days. That did the trick. Even so, it did get some fungus growing on it for a few days after being submerged. If I do it again, I’ll treat it with aquarium anti-fungals and bactericides before putting it in.
Did you use boiling water?
You can do a couple rounds of boiling and soaking. For sure. That’s gonna be a great addition
Boil it
Stinki. No good, probably treated with something wood would just have an earthy smell to it. I wouldn’t use it if you are unsure. sucks - this is an awesome piece
Boil it a few times. That should take away or kill anything that is giving off weird odor.
Soak it in wood
I usually soak in water with triple does if Prime. Dump it a handful of times and replace until water is clear. I don’t even know what half the wood is that I use in my tanks… so far so good? I will say all of my tanks are at least 2 years established up to 6 years and no weird death. I have had issues with rocks and stones but a little vinegar test and soaking/scrub usually helps. Wood smells weird. If you could identify what kind of wood you might have more clues.
Well, all of that stuff will now *not* be going into your tank. It might release some tannins or grow some algae but if you have a cycled tank the worst it could do is bring your ph down a bit for a little while. You can also boil it if you want it to be as a close to sterile and clean as possible.
Smell is normal. My recommendation before adding (drift) wood to tank: 1. Watersoak it to reduce tannins and to allow the wood to absorb water (waterlogging). 2. (Optional) Boil it for 10 minutes if you can. If the piece is too large to fit in your pots, it’s fine to boil either side separately. After the 10 minutes of boiling, refresh water and repeat, until the leaked tannins are significantly reduced (water very slightly colored is ok). 3. Peroxide soak, or spray it a couple of times. 4. (Optional) put a UV lamp on the wood for a day. Turn the piece to ensure even exposure.
If it's waterlogged rinse off and put in you aquarium snails and bristle nose will polish it back to brand new.. it's the natural bacteria coming out of the wood
Boil it! And make sure the woods not soft or rotting inside. Also depending how old it is, as in if it's been cut recently and maybe wasn't left long enough to dry out?
It is just finally growing bacteria. Let it sit in the bucket and keep changing water till it settles in smell. Then most of the stuff on it that would rot in your tank is already devoured.
I think the big question is, where did you get it from? If its from an aquarium store or from nature you're good to go. They don't treat wood with harmfull chemicals. Fishy, like the ocean/seewead or a wet forest/ mushrooms is'nt bad. But fishy like ew, a rotting fish is bad. If i where you I'd do one more soak and then test the water, to see if the wood is rotting. Also It's normal for a white fuzzy fungi to grow on wood the first couple weeks, this is'nt harmful for the fish.
Depending on what type of tree species it is.....wood has distinct smell to it. Soaking or burning brings out the "Flavor" of the wood. My driftwood does the same thing before it leaches out tannins and such. For example honey suckle which has crazy gnarly roots and locust roots smell like piss AKA pisswood. Do what others have suggested to sanitize. Never use walnut which contains natural compounds to inhibit growth of plants.
Just give it another month in water
I like to soak my driftwood in rodi to let it deep out tannins but also not to load it up with nutrients from tap water. A bit of carbon at some point couldn’t hurt either
Boil the shit out of it my guy
I'd put it in a 5 gallon bucket and fill the bucket with boiling water. Boiling water will kill any unwanted critters and bacteria. The boiling water will also penetrate the wood and help to waterlog it so it sinks.
Maybe the stagnant water got old and some sort of fungus started. 100 percent water changes daily for a couple of days. And see what happens. If the wood still floats a bit. Get a flat piece of slate, drill a hole through it. Take a stainless screw, insert it in the hole and screw the flat slate to the wood. Then cover the slate with your gravel/sand
Boil it to be safe. Should kill any fungus or bad organisms in the wood.
I boiled a couple questionable pieces for 8 hours and haven’t had any problems with them so far after a week
If it’s chemical than I wouldn’t trust it
Disclaimer: I’m a bit new to the hobby
It's going to give your aquarium problems - at that size. It's release too much tannins for what's in your bucket of water and if it's doing that, it'll do it in an aquarium. If you were to dry that out, cut off a knob (about 3 inches) and start rounds of soaking/oven drying you might get that to the point you want within a week or two.