Boiling Driftwood

[Meggie :)]

So I am boiling driftwood because I heard that it helps get rid of tannins and helps it to sink. I am boiling it on a stove because the pot was big enough and the driftwood is small enough. How long do I have to boil it? Should I empty out the water, fill it with fresh water and reboil it? If so how many times should I do this?

thanks in advance,
Megan

 

[StandbySetting]

Boiling it will break down the tissues in the wood, you will have to continue replacing the water, it works on the basis of diffusion, whereby a compound moves from an area of high concentration to low concentration, so the tannins will leach until an equilibrium is reached.

 

[KezJona]

I boiled mine all day, doing regular water changes in the pan and by the end of the night, Tannis still leached out /

 

[Meggie :)]

oh my goodness! So I should keep boiling it until I redo my tank tonight? Okay!

 

[mbsqw1d]

Hey,

Boiling it helps to open the pores in the wood allowing the tannins to seep out easier. It will also do a good job at killing off any unwanted parasites etc..

I wouldnt boil it for anything over 4 hrs personally. After that, I would leave it in a large bucket of water and change the water daily until you notice less tannin seepage.

What fish do you keep? If you have corydora, or some other acid PH loving fish, then tannins are actually pretty good to have in the water!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

There isn't really any reason to try to avoid tannins in the water other than appearance. I actually kind of like the slightly yellowish tinge the water has with the tannins. Clear water just doesn't look "natural". Tannins are also highly beneficial for some fish and cause no harm to any fish, other than lowering the pH, but you can deal with that easy enough with timely water changes.

 

[mbsqw1d]

if this was facebook i would 'like' the above comment!

 

[Meggie :)]

I have guppies and balloon mollies...if I boil it today for a few hours and then soak it overnight, would it be okay to put into the tank tomorrow afternoon?

 

[StandbySetting]

It'd be ok to put it in now, there's no real need to boil it, just give it a quick rinse and it'll be fine.

 

[Meggie :)]

Will it sink in the tank because of my boiling it?

 

[StandbySetting]

Possibly, but it will sink eventually, you can always weight it down with a rock or two.

 

[Meggie :)]

Do I just tie the rock onto it? And what do I tie it with? I don't think we have fishing line...we live in the middle of the desert lol

 

[StandbySetting]

Place the wood in the tank and place rocks around it to hold it down.

 

[Meggie :)]

Thanks!