I found some really nice rock in an "abandoned" cow pasture and want to put it in a tank. How should I do this ? Should I do the vinegar trick ? or put in bucket with salt for few days then scrub it then boil it ? Also, there is a creek in the woods behind me and I got permission from the owner to go get some rock and wutever else I find there. Hoping to find some driftwood ! But wut about other wood ? Do I need to know exactly what kind of wood it is before adding to the tank or just make sure its really clean before adding it ??

ya drift wood has to be really clean before use in tank since there is more areas for bad things to hide in if you boil then bleach then rinse you should be fine i have had success with my friend and i doing that with drift wood we find at the local lakes but with anything found outside should def be given a good cleaning with everything that you suggested i would say you are fine but one thing with drift wood i stay away from soft woods and just use hard woods if i can. pine i never allow into my tanks.

with drift wood, it will leech tannins for a good while, so if you want to try and keep your water clear, you could soak it for a month in a bucket or a barrel. it really does take a long time to get it "stable"

With any rocks pour vinegar on them, if it fizzes then dont use. If it dont fizz then clean and put in tank. The only wood worth using in a tank is wood that exists in water like bog wood. Any other wood will just rot. If you find wood that exists in water then I would boil first and then let it dry out completely before using it to make sure it isnt contaminated