MAKE THE TANNINS STOP!
- Thread starter thewaterboy
- Start date
Carbon will pull the tannins out of the water, but really it's a temporary fix.
You can put the wood in a pot of water and boil the tannins out. I boiled my driftwood over 4 hours and I still get the brown water. I gave up and bought some carbon. I have a bag of the stuff sitting in the middle of the tank and I plan to change it out every 2 weeks. Too early to tell how long it's going to take, but I got time on my hands
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You can put the wood in a pot of water and boil the tannins out. I boiled my driftwood over 4 hours and I still get the brown water. I gave up and bought some carbon. I have a bag of the stuff sitting in the middle of the tank and I plan to change it out every 2 weeks. Too early to tell how long it's going to take, but I got time on my hands
.When I boil mine, I want to see relatively clear water before I'm done. The last piece was a small one (for a 5 gallon). I boiled the water for about an hour. When I checked on the water, it looked like black coffee. I dumped that water and refilled the pot. Whenever I checked it, if the water looked even slightly brown, I dumped it and started over. I think I boiled that small piece of wood for about 4 hours that night.
Now that it's been in the tank for a few months, the water always looks great, but there is a brown algae growing on the wood. When I change the water, I turn off the pump and net out the big floaters of brown crap. It takes about a day to get the water clear again. (AC20 HOB filter)
Now that it's been in the tank for a few months, the water always looks great, but there is a brown algae growing on the wood. When I change the water, I turn off the pump and net out the big floaters of brown crap. It takes about a day to get the water clear again. (AC20 HOB filter)
I wonder if they dye the wood. All the driftwood at the LFS looks too uniform in colour. Does it come from cedar water/brown water?
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cedar-water.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cedar-water.htm
If you have the ability to remove the wood, you could vastly improve cure time if you were to soak it in a tub of water mixed with soda ash. That's what they used back in the old days to cure freshly constructed redwood water tanks for potable human consumption. I forget the exact amount, but if you are interested, i could find out.
i had the same problem . the company i bought it from said the wood wasnt aged enough. so i had to scrub it with a wire brush (new one , not a rusted one) and you should see all the gunk come off. the dark part is the problem and if there is any bark left on it , pry it off with a knife. (be careful) dont give up . just keep scrubbing and boiling. it will lessen, promise.
is it malaysan mopari wood? what source did you get it from?
dont forget the tannins change the ph to low. i would test to make sure it is ok for you fish
is it malaysan mopari wood? what source did you get it from?
dont forget the tannins change the ph to low. i would test to make sure it is ok for you fish
Most south american fish LOVE tannins in the water it makes it feel like the Black rivers of thier home lands. My wood no longer lets out tannins and I'm sad about it . I liked a little tint to my water.
Give it 3-6 months depending on the size of the wood. Could tank a year tilll you no longer see any tannins. The longer you soak your water for before adding it to the tank the less tannins you will have. HOT HOT water is what you need to use when soaking the wood strubing it also helps too.
Tannins will not mess your PH up. I have checked.
Give it 3-6 months depending on the size of the wood. Could tank a year tilll you no longer see any tannins. The longer you soak your water for before adding it to the tank the less tannins you will have. HOT HOT water is what you need to use when soaking the wood strubing it also helps too.
Tannins will not mess your PH up. I have checked.
wow thanks everyone for the help. i have no idea what kind of wood it is, all i know is that it is not mopani wood and there is no bark on it....i believe the guy who sold it to me said it came from Africa and that it resists rotting underwater. The color of the wood when I bought it was very dark and that color really hasn't lightened much at all. Also, i didn't boil it for as nearly as long as you guys. I prob boiled both pieces for a half hour total. Im going to boil it again and get some carbon. My filter is an eheim 2227 wet/dry canister, so there's no carbon, the substrate is a ceramic type of material. You think I should just hang a little bag of carbon from the side of the tank?
bud, i can't imagine how much tannins would come from a 100 lb piece of wood, i feel like it would turn the Great Lakes brown, nice job getting rid of tannins.
TinyD thanks for the offer, I don't know where I would get soda ash from so I guess I will try the boil method again. thanks though.
thanks everyone
bud, i can't imagine how much tannins would come from a 100 lb piece of wood, i feel like it would turn the Great Lakes brown, nice job getting rid of tannins.
TinyD thanks for the offer, I don't know where I would get soda ash from so I guess I will try the boil method again. thanks though.
thanks everyone
