Need help with tannins please !

[Kashif314]

I have a very minimal setup of driftwood in my 100 gallon. I couldn't boil it like suggested because didn't have any pan large enough to boil it. What I did was I put them inside large bucket of water and poured hot water over it and let it stayed overnight and then washed it with a shower jet next day and placed inside tank.

Woods seems to be Malaysian driftwoods but I am not sure. Below are the pictures:




They releasing a lot of tannin and water turned into light tea color. I know tannins are good for fish health but I don't want my ph to drop and I don't like tannin water unless its a shrimp tank or a tank of chili rasboras or neons etc.

So, please advise me what steps can I take to fix this tannin issue. I did a thorough Google search and find out about using active carbon and Seachem purigen. I don't have a place for them inside my filters. I can buy an internal power filter and can remove the sponge media that it comes with and can put active carbon or putigen in that place. Please let me know if that idea is ok. The filter will be dipped fully inside water so will it work same as like an hob filter or a canister?

Also in your experience how reliable is active carbon in absorbing tannins?

Please advise. Thanks.

 

[tlindsey]

I have a very minimal setup of driftwood in my 100 gallon. I couldn't boil it like suggested because didn't have any pan large enough to boil it. What I did was I put them inside large bucket of water and poured hot water over it and let it stayed overnight and then washed it with a shower jet next day and placed inside tank.

Woods seems to be Malaysian driftwoods but I am not sure. Below are the pictures:

View attachment 1388862
View attachment 1388863

They releasing a lot of tannin and water turned into light tea color. I know tannins are good for fish health but I don't want my ph to drop and I don't like tannin water unless its a shrimp tank or a tank of chili rasboras or neons etc.

So, please advise me what steps can I take to fix this tannin issue. I did a thorough Google search and find out about using active carbon and Seachem purigen. I don't have a place for them inside my filters. I can buy an internal power filter and can remove the sponge media that it comes with and can put active carbon or putigen in that place. Please let me know if that idea is ok. The filter will be dipped fully inside water so will it work same as like an hob filter or a canister?

Also in your experience how reliable is active carbon in absorbing tannins?

Please advise. Thanks.

My experience with tannins is that some driftwood will vary meaning some will release less or more. I know that overtime some driftwood will be void of tannins after so many wc's after awhile.

 

[duanes]

Because this tank is outdoors, and gets a lot of leaf litter falling in, it became very tannin rich.

lots of water changes brought them under control

but even when is was most tea-like my pH barely dropped a 10th.

 

[Kashif314]

My experience with tannins is that some driftwood will vary meaning some will release less or more. I know that overtime some driftwood will be void of tannins after so many wc's after awhile.

Thanks. No other way to take care of tannins?

Because this tank is outdoors, and gets a lot of leaf litter falling in, it became very tannin rich.
View attachment 1388884
lots of water changes brought them under control
View attachment 1388885
but even when is was most tea-like my pH barely dropped a 10th.
View attachment 1388886

This looks like cooking oil in the bottle. That's definitely very much the tea color. Mine is not this concentrate. Its slightly tea colored.

So any idea about using active carbon to remove tannins?

 

[tlindsey]

Thanks. No other way to take care of tannins?



This looks like cooking oil in the bottle. That's definitely very much the tea color. Mine is not this concentrate. Its slightly tea colored.

So any idea about using active carbon to remove tannins?

I've had the same experience with tannins and PH like what Duane had stated in his reply. You probably will need way more wood for it to be a issue with your PH. I myself have 2 setups with wood and add dried leaves no change in PH.

 

[RD.]

How or if pH will be affected will depend on your alkalinity. In my local hard water, with a high pH and high total alkalinity, no type of wood affects my pH, even if I fill the entire tank with wood. Carbon will remove the coloration, not sure if it will do much more than that though?

 

[Ulu]

I usually spray bogwood with a strong stream of water until the surface has washed off a little. Then I soak it in a plastic bin of water for 3 days or more, changing the water 4x a day. Usually this makes the wood sink and quit leaching too much.

But in the tank it will still require extra water changes for a while. After a few days in the tank it should be OK, but some pieces release much more than others. I had one piece that I soaked for 10 days before it would sink, though tannins were quite weak after just 3 days.

 

[Thacarter54632]

It's pretty much been said, but change the water a few times. Activated carbon helps alot.

Purigen works well, but my experience has been it will exhaust itself quickly and need to be recharged. It is

Activated carbon, water changes, and patience will work best.

 

[deeda]

To answer your question about using an internal power filter and filling it with carbon, that should work just fine. Usually these type of internal power filters are pretty small and don't offer a lot of room for any type of media but it might work depending on the size. You may have to put the carbon in a fine mesh media bag to avoid it damaging the impeller of the filter though.

Your easiest option though would be to use carbon or even Purigen in a media bag in your canister filter though you would have to remove enough existing media to fit it in.

 

[duanes]

How or if pH will be affected will depend on your alkalinity. In my local hard water, with a high pH and high total alkalinity, no type of wood affects my pH, even if I fill the entire tank with wood. Carbon will remove the coloration, not sure if it will do much more than that though?

I agree with this, if your water have strong buffering capacity (AKA alkalinity) pH will not move because the calcium will neutralize the acids.
If your water is soft, with low buffers, this could create pH drop.