Mopani and grapevine driftwood question

[Pagey]

Forgive me if this is answered somewhere - my search-fu is way off tonight.

How do you prep mopani for a tank? I assume there's more involved than a thorough rinse?

And is the grapevine "driftwood" sold for herps safe for aquarium use? I have some leftover pieces that I didn't use in my crab tank that would fit nicely into my betta tanks - if they're safe, that is.

[Nic W]

I just clean the mopani in some hot water and let it soak for a few days... then place it in the tank...
of course you will get tannins from it in your tank, but, some fish thrive in those conditions.

[Yipee]

Tannins are great, Tannins are cool. If you're an uncool person you could try coating your driftwood with layers of non-toxic polyurethane varnish or soaking it in a bucket and change all the water in the bucket everyday until one fine day the water is clear.

[spudfeger]

I boiled mine in about 3 changes of water to lessen the intensity of the tannins... but otherwise let it do its thing. For about 3 months the tank water was yellow-ish but my neons absolutely loved it! They were perkier, ate more, and explored more actively than before.