We went "driftwood hunting" today for our 75 g tank and brought some pieces home that we found on the bank of a river. Once we got them home we put them in the bath and filled it up with hot water. We went to clean off the nasty stuff and the wood is soft and chipping away. Is this the way driftwood should be? When we dry it in the sun will it harden? I thought that driftwood was supposed to be soft, light, and hard. What are the characteristics of a good piece of driftwood and where would be a good place to find it? :dunno:

That sounds like normal driftwood to me. Do you live in an area with many pine trees? If yes, don't use that wood, it's extreamly soft and rots quickly and pollutes your water.

cooo..... its not pine... but i thaught it was wrong cause it chips if u dig at it.. and for some reason i was thinking it was gonna be very hard and tough. its kinda mushy to the touch. but not to the point where it falls apart.

If it's that soft you don't want to use it, it will decompose quickly in your tank and foul your water.
This may help, it's how I prepaired the driftwood for my tank. link