How to safely prepare found driftwood and rocks for your aquarium?

Thanks for reaching out about Juno. Regarding which type of wood to use, many wood can be toxic. The idea of driftwood is that they are dried, bleached and have soaked for extended periods of time to leach out potential toxins. As the sap leaches into the water, potential materials either toxic or dangerous to the biological filter could cause problems. The wood from fruit with pits (peach, nectarines, etc.) and applewood potential contain cyanide. Oak and other hard woods have resins that could affect fish. Good luck.

Firstly remove all small branches and leaves. The safest method is putting the wood in the oven if it fits. You need to put it in at 200F and cook for 2 to 3 hours, do not leave unattended. You can soak bigger pieces for 24 hours in a cup of bleach to 1 gallon water solution in the bath. Then you must rinse thoroughly and repeat the soaking at least 5 times in clean water to remove the bleach. Then air dry the wood. Obviously the bleach has to be properly removed. Personally I would use the oven method and if not just buy ready made wood from the pet shop.

You can, however it isn't as simple as collecting a few bucketsful and dumping them in your tank. You will need to properly clean the sand to remove impurities and parasites. This involves soaking the sand, water changes, more soaking amd more water changes. It may take several weeks. There are videos you can watch on the bigger video hosting sites. It is much easier, and safer for your fish, to buy sand that has been prepared already.

Water softeners leave very little salt residue in the treated water. Most, not all, fish *should* do fine in softened water. Make sure you get species that does better in soft water. Use a hardness kit and monitor KH. This parameter is what can affect pH. You can set aside a gallon or two and test it after it has aged for 24-48 hours to confirm it is safe to use. Check the softener unit for a bypass valve. Some units will have one or you can get one installed. Taps/faucets outside may not be in line with the softener, so you can use water from there if necessary.

Water conditioning can be complicated and I recommend to stop by your local aquarium store. They are most often familiar with the local water quality and can give recommendations specific to your location. Some areas need buffering solutions to help control things like the water pH. Here are a few links which may help answer some of your questions about water condition: https://www.aqueon.com/articles/freshwater-aquarium-water-quality https://www.petcoach.co/article/aquarium-water-management-alkalinity-vs-water-hardness/ Before moving your goldfish, make sure all the conditions are appropriate for goldfish: https://www.aqueon.com/information/care-sheets/goldfish https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-help-your-new-goldfish-thrive/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for reaching out about your fish. Things depend on the difference between the existing water and the future tank. The wider the range, the more stress. Match temperature also, as that provides the most stress. Good luck.

The only way to disinfect it would be to sterilise it by heating it up, however this will kill everything in the soil. It may be cheaper to buy new soil. Here is one way of doing it: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/microwave-potting-soil-48342.html You can find more ways to do this by putting "how to sterilize soil" in your browser window.