I discovered that in the case of a pair of Julidochromis ornatus (a small cichlid from Lake Tanganyika). I had purchased a tufa rock (basically mineral collected from the short of a lake in the American west - Lake Mono?). It gave their environment the alkaline boost they needed and two weeks after I put that in their aquarium, they spawned. It had been in a tank of rain forest killies, Aphyosemion striatum (one of the "easy killies"). They didn't spawn until I got that darn rock OUT of their tank and did some extensive changing of the water, 20-30% at a time. After a couple of weeks of partial water changes every three days, the mineral content of their aquarium had come down enough that they were also spawning! Boy was I figuratively hitting myself on the head for putting that rock in exactly the wrong aquarium! (Call me lumpy.)

Now to drift wood: I also have some real questions about some drift wood. Some years back, a group I was a member of, invited one of the area's leading aquascappers to present a program. He assembled a  15 gallon paludarium with driftwood, several plants and even a water fall over an artfully arranged hill of slate. I was impressed since I am such a non-artistic person I can't draw on a check book. My son was impressed too and we bought the thing for a surprising amount of moolah.

For a time, it was home to some critters which bounced in and out of the water. The tank did sour though and after tearing it down, I removed those "eggy" pieces of driftwood. More recently I did the same with some driftwood from a living room tank. In that case, that tank had been set up 15 or so years and was just loaded with plant material on the way out.

The first of those tanks was a relatively soft water aquarium. The second became more acidic with age.

Other pieces of driftwood have been kept with bristlenose catfish without problem. Of course the  bristlenoses were spawning at the time and got a lot of water changes relative to those other aquariums. If some of the surface wood in there was decaying, I didn't know about it, because the "dwarf" bristlenoses (Ancistris species of some sort) were also scouring the wood, making it a modest supplement to their diet. (Or maybe they were just bored.)

I know of local aquarists who also harvest driftwood along the shores of their nearby rivers. Most of the driftwood I drift into when fishing is much too soft for an aquarium. If I get a chance to wander Lake Michigan's shore, I will look for really weathered stuff.

That piece from the living room tank has been on a brick ledge in the sun and weather for six months. Next year, I may try it again.

For me the moral of the story is don't use wood that is obviously rotting unless you have a power hose and can wear away the soft stuff. In a shop (only do this on the out-of-the way bottom, if there is an obvious bottom) I may surreptitiously try to push my fingernail into it. (Have you noticed what working in aquariums does to strengthen one's claws, er. fingernails?) If I'm pushing into balsa wood, forget it.

As for your wood, smell the water. Actually we should be doing this anyway, weird as that sounds. (We use our sense of sight. hearing and even feel with aquaria, why not get our money's worth in the sensory department?)  There are several mild scents associated with healthy aquariums. There are some scents which also tell us that an aquarium is in deep trouble.

If there is no rotten egg scent detectable what-so-ever, you are probably ok.

But do take that wood out and scrub it down with your hand once in a while under the laundry sink faucet. That might be one of those times when that soap-less plastic pot scrubber, dedicated to things aquatic, could be useful. Your mild bleach bath is an interesting idea if the wood then goes in a dechlorination solution. Or take a wet paper towel and do a baking soda rub down. Hummm… how about using an old, stiff toothbrush with the baking soda, getting especially into tight spots such as the intersections of branch and limb?

Of course, dropping a little cash on some Ancistris, might insure a scoured piece of driftwood. I have an odds 'n ends tank right behind me (where the Big Momma Golden lineatus is peering over my shoulder wondering why that idiot has the light on so early) which would be a great place for some bristlenoses. Until January, around here, there are no more aquarium club auctions. However there is a Greater Chicago Cichlid Association swap meet this next Sunday. I had a lot of fun talking fish and buying books and plants at a previous one. If we're too busy with family Sunday afternoon, the Champaign Area Fish Exchange will have their winter auction one of the Saturdays in the middle of January. (My wife's car, the one with the with the heater, goes to that event.)

I would also use it in water, which has some mineral content. Make sure the tank is easily accessible. We all are better at frequent partial water changes, if the tank can be conveniently worked with. ;)

So clean the wood once and a great while. Do keep up with the partial water changes in that tank. Maybe keep hard water there. And when nobody is looking, give it the sniff test, now and again. ;)

Thank you for a great diary thought. That is a topic well worth visiting!