Tannins from driftwood

[timelessr1]

If you're able to boil the driftwood, or at least get the water your soaking them in hot, this will help leach out the tannin faster. It took me 2 months to get all most of the tannin out of the piece i used. Its in a 125gal, but i need a 55 gallon drum to leach the tannin

 

[dogofwar]

Water changes and activated carbon...

Matt

 

[Kyle_91]

Personally, I LOVE the blackwater look it gives to a tank, looks alot more natural.... but its your tank...

As everyone else stated, just keep it in hot water and do water changes (of whatever the driftwood is in) until the tannins finally release.

 

[HackJob]

It does to a degree. I have heard Seachem Purigen works much better. I've never wanted to remove tannins though (blackwater lover here). OP your best most effective bet is to remove the wood and boil each piece for 10 minutes. The boiling process will remove FAR more tannins than soaking will. If you don't take the chemical route (carbon or purigen) or boil it, lots of water changes and patience is next in line.

+2 Keep the tannin the fish will like you more.

 

[timelessr1]

+2 The tannin is actually healthy for some fish species! The only reaosn i dindt want tannin is due to my tank being planted, and the tannin would have cut down on the light reaching the plants

 

[piranhaman00]

So I'll just boil the logs and keep changing the water.

I guess I don't mind the color I just don't want to harm my fish.

How long should I boil it for?

 

[FreshWater Guru]

So I'll just boil the logs and keep changing the water.

I guess I don't mind the color I just don't want to harm my fish.

How long should I boil it for?

It will lower your ph and soften the water. I mulch drift wood and add it to make the blackwater/amozonian tank but i check my ph during the fist week or so of this process. CHECK YOUR PH ASAP as the tannins will drop it making it acidic.

 

[JK47]

Does adding driftwood to a tank change the chemistry of the water significantly? I heard it lowers ph and softens water. Will it do this to a point where my fish could be in danger?

Thanks

No one here can answer that question accuratly without knowing your water perams. If you have hard water you can add all the wood, tannin extract, almond leaves etc... and you pH will not budge. If you have soft water to begin with, yes excessive tannin acid (key work being acid, it acidifies the water making it "softer") can lower your pH. Buffering down soft water is MUCH easier than buffering down hard water.

It will lower your ph and soften the water. I mulch drift wood and add it to make the blackwater/amozonian tank but i check my ph during the fist week or so of this process. CHECK YOUR PH ASAP as the tannins will drop it making it acidic.

That can be true, see above though. I do the same thing with small cheap or borken pieces of wood (go great in a laundry bag straight in the sump) from the LFS. I just prefer the tea color even though it does nothing to soften my water.

 

[piranhaman00]

Ya my water is very hard so i should be fine then