my water is tinted brown

[dravesef]

i noticed the last few days that my water is truning brownish orange but visibility through the tank is perfect. i added some new dift wood a week ago was wondering if that might be it. also i have a magnum 350 canister filter which im useing lava rock as my media, and not adding any carbon. should i add some carbon to clear the water up? also do small water changes daily till it goes clear again so there is no tint. i also tested my water and every thing is fine there, and there is no weird fish behavior so i dont think it is harming them. another bit of information i did wash the drift wood real good before i put it in the tank. thanks for the help.

 

[OscarRobinson]

Drift wood is releasing tannins. It's normal and won't harm the fish.

 

[BushFishRox]

the new driftwood would do that, it isnt a big deal. if the looks dont bother you then just leave it and do your normal maintenance other wise it is safe to add carbon.

 

[joedodge]

just do regular water changes it will go away in a couple months

 

[haynchinook334]

agreed all the way to the top.

 

[frnchjeep]

The only thing that tannins will affect is PH. It will drop a little.

 

[zennzzo]

Did you check your Ph?
Usually humic and tannins leeching from wood, means a rise in Acid and a slight drop in Ph...

If your Ph is quite a bit lower, than the Tap, be careful of doing large water changes to clear the water...you could throw the fish into PH shock...

 

[dravesef]

thanks for all the info guys, and my ph in my tank was on the high side so it should just level it off at a safe ponit in the middle.

 

[benzjamin13]

Yup...driftwood will do that. Next time if you don't want that to happen, you need to let the driftwood soak in a bucket and keep changing the water until the water is clear. But I find that the fish seems to like it.

 

[IKeepPacu]

what kind of fish are you keeping??

amazonian fish especially may actually prefer the tannins and other things leeched into the water from the wood. it will make the water a bit more acidic, which is closer to their natural habitat. in the wild, the same exact thing happens with tannins being leached from decomposing leaves and branches.