I am shocked at how much tannins the 2 small pieces of wood I have are releasing. I bought them at the LFS. I soaked it for 1 month, changing the water every 3-4 days, before i put it in the tank. I threw it in the tank and after 8 days the water was so dark I could hardly see the back wall of the tank. I did a water change and then it started turning the water dark again. Last night I boiled both pieces of wood and it turned the boiling water so dark it looked like black coffee. I put it back in my tank today and surprise! its turning the water dark again. anything else i can do? i don't mind slight discoloration but i don't want it getting darker everyday to the point where I am forced to do water changes every week. The pieces of wood are in a 75G and soaking wet they prob weigh 3-5 pounds each....so not that big compared to the size of the tank. thanks.
MAKE THE TANNINS STOP!
- Thread starter thewaterboy
- Start date
What's wrong with weekly water changes? You act like it's a chore you keep your water clean because it changes color. Tannins will eventually go away, and will lessen, no need to stress because your water looks bad, you should probably be more concerned if your water is bad
- Your forced to do water changes ever week for your fish, not the wood. Keep that up 
- What kind of fish do you keep? Many south american fish/cichlids will appreciate the tannins stained water, it mimics natural habitat on many places around the globe as well as slightly softens the water hardness.
- If you want wood that does not leach as much, you can always try to buy aged (soaked) wood from other people. Let them do the hard work for you.
I intentianally keep fresh wood in my tanks since I love the look of tannins.
- What kind of fish do you keep? Many south american fish/cichlids will appreciate the tannins stained water, it mimics natural habitat on many places around the globe as well as slightly softens the water hardness.
- If you want wood that does not leach as much, you can always try to buy aged (soaked) wood from other people. Let them do the hard work for you.
I intentianally keep fresh wood in my tanks since I love the look of tannins.
thanks guys, no there's nothing wrong with weekly water changes but the tank is currently understocked. It has a 4-5 inch festae and a 7-8 inch polpypeturs enderlicheri. So i dont really want to change the water unless its because of poor water quality. I know i'll have to do it more when the fish grow. I just can't get over this wood. If I get new wood, are there big differences in wood you get at a LFS?
Your festae will not mind the tannins at all nor will the poly. I say let the wood run it's course if you like the looks. Like Brian said, keep up on the WC's. The smaller the fish, the more water changes, the faster the growth/coloration.