If a piece is leaking tannis will this stop or is it time to get a new piece? Also the way to remove the tannined water (brownish water) just do the water changes or is there something you can add to the tank like tank clarifyer or what not?
Driftwood
- Thread starter Bigd5482
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Hi,
It is usually new pieces of bogwood which leach tannins, rather than old pieces. The amount of tannins leached will reduce over time until it eventually stops.
Some people like to eradicate as much of the tannins as possible before adding the wood to the tank, however this is purely an aesthetic goal as the tannins do no harm to either plants or fish. Most fish actually like them, but it is understandable that not everyone wants brown water in their tank.
If you want to get rid of the tannins there are several commonly used methods, some of which I will detail for you here
1) Soak the wood in a bucket of water for days / weeks before adding it to the tank. Changing the water in the bucket every couple of days will give a good indication how much tannin is left in the wood.
2) Boil the piece of wood before adding to the tank. This is a quicker method of extracting the tannins than soaking the wood. Again, changing the water and boiling again will give a good indication of how successful it has been.
3) Put the bogwood through the dishwasher (without detergent of course) before adding to the tank.
4) Add the bogwood to the tank, and remove the tannins with water changes.
5) Add the bogwood to the tank, and add activated carbon to the filter. The carbon will remove the tannins from the water. Note that the carbon needs to be replaced regularly (every 3 days - 1 week), making this a very expensive method. Not one I would recommend.
Not everyone goes to the trouble of removing the tannins as many people like them or use them to create an effect in the tank. It's really up to you.
Hope that helps.
BTT
It is usually new pieces of bogwood which leach tannins, rather than old pieces. The amount of tannins leached will reduce over time until it eventually stops.
Some people like to eradicate as much of the tannins as possible before adding the wood to the tank, however this is purely an aesthetic goal as the tannins do no harm to either plants or fish. Most fish actually like them, but it is understandable that not everyone wants brown water in their tank.
If you want to get rid of the tannins there are several commonly used methods, some of which I will detail for you here
1) Soak the wood in a bucket of water for days / weeks before adding it to the tank. Changing the water in the bucket every couple of days will give a good indication how much tannin is left in the wood.
2) Boil the piece of wood before adding to the tank. This is a quicker method of extracting the tannins than soaking the wood. Again, changing the water and boiling again will give a good indication of how successful it has been.
3) Put the bogwood through the dishwasher (without detergent of course) before adding to the tank.
4) Add the bogwood to the tank, and remove the tannins with water changes.
5) Add the bogwood to the tank, and add activated carbon to the filter. The carbon will remove the tannins from the water. Note that the carbon needs to be replaced regularly (every 3 days - 1 week), making this a very expensive method. Not one I would recommend.
Not everyone goes to the trouble of removing the tannins as many people like them or use them to create an effect in the tank. It's really up to you.
Hope that helps.
BTT
Hi,
It is usually new pieces of bogwood which leach tannins, rather than old pieces. The amount of tannins leached will reduce over time until it eventually stops.
Some people like to eradicate as much of the tannins as possible before adding the wood to the tank, however this is purely an aesthetic goal as the tannins do no harm to either plants or fish. Most fish actually like them, but it is understandable that not everyone wants brown water in their tank.
If you want to get rid of the tannins there are several commonly used methods, some of which I will detail for you here
1) Soak the wood in a bucket of water for days / weeks before adding it to the tank. Changing the water in the bucket every couple of days will give a good indication how much tannin is left in the wood.
2) Boil the piece of wood before adding to the tank. This is a quicker method of extracting the tannins than soaking the wood. Again, changing the water and boiling again will give a good indication of how successful it has been.
3) Put the bogwood through the dishwasher (without detergent of course) before adding to the tank.
4) Add the bogwood to the tank, and remove the tannins with water changes.
5) Add the bogwood to the tank, and add activated carbon to the filter. The carbon will remove the tannins from the water. Note that the carbon needs to be replaced regularly (every 3 days - 1 week), making this a very expensive method. Not one I would recommend.
Not everyone goes to the trouble of removing the tannins as many people like them or use them to create an effect in the tank. It's really up to you.
Hope that helps.
BTT
Very nice post and very informative thank you. Well if thats the case I'll leave it be if they leak into the tank I didn't realize it didn't do anything to the levels of the tank or the fish but if it won't harm anything I'm happy with it. It is a piece that was in this tank when my buddy had it before giving it to me so didn't seem to leak too much while I had it in the bucket soaking and i didn't change the water and it sat for over a week so should be pretty good.
snowflake311
Fish nerd
I soaked a large piece for over a month with hot water changing the water everyday. I even scrubbed it. It still leaked tannins but one smaller piece was good to go after 2 weeks of soaking. I think the size and how fresh the wood is causes more tannins.
Any ways I was sick of waiting so I just put it in my tank. Water changes and carbon work great to keep the water clear like what was said before. When I notice my water getting a bit yellow I know its time for a water change it takes about 5 days to a week till I notice the tannins.
Any ways I was sick of waiting so I just put it in my tank. Water changes and carbon work great to keep the water clear like what was said before. When I notice my water getting a bit yellow I know its time for a water change it takes about 5 days to a week till I notice the tannins.
shelaghfishface
the one and only
mine still leaks too, but im one of those that likes it, i dont light bright white tanks ( clear water is what i mean) i think my tank that has this is the best looking tank i have 
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