Bogwood

[Haych]

i am really sorry if this is the wrong section, i went to post in beginners questions, but couldnt post new topic

Anyways,, i have some good sized pieces of bogwood, but they make the tank VERY dirty, but i assumed it was because the new tank I bought had plants and substrate for plants in, so, (i know you wont agree to this) i BOILED the bath out, put them in there in extremely hot water to try and clean the wood off, but this morning when i took them out, (been in soak for 24 hours) i planned on them boiling them on the hob (like i have seen mentioned) to rid them of anything that could be harmful to fish

yet, theyre STILL filthy, shedding leaving the water an orangey green colour

is this normal? or is this stuff only good for the bin?

i did want to use it as i know it can help "purify" the tank

 

[mattlee]

bogwood, mopani wood, almond leaves etc etc all leave tannins in the water which make the water a tea colour. these will reduce eventually either by water changes or just by soaking them before adding to the tank. if you want them in the tank now and dont want tannins then add activated carbon to the filter and it will remove the colouring from the water. these tannins wont harm your fish infact some prefer it but it may lower your pH slightly so depending on how much wood you have keep n eye on it. mine dropped about 0.2 - 0.4 on the pH so nothing major.
i have actually just set up tank with loads of tannins for my corys and it looks great, really moody and the fish love it