Mopani Wood

[WaterHead]

Hi there,

I bought a nice piece of mopani wood a few months ago and decided to not use it because after boiling it and keeping it in water for one month it still turned the water yellow, any suggestions as to what else to try to keep it from leaking tanin?

 

[rabbut]

Hi there,

I bought a nice piece of mopani wood a few months ago and decided to not use it because after boiling it and keeping it in water for one month it still turned the water yellow, any suggestions as to what else to try to keep it from leaking tanin?

Wood can take a long time to leach all its tannins. I would recomend an overnoght simmer for the wood, in very hot water, and see how it is at that point. Keep it simmering until it finishes leaching. Only a few hours in very hot water is usualy enough to prevent further leaching, but stuborn pices may need up to 48 hours.....

HTH
Rabbut

 

[Mikaila31]

I boiled by wood for a really long time, but it still tinted my water for about a year before it finally stopped. I think if you run carbon it will remove the coloration, but i'm not sure about that. If it does you would have to keep replacing the carbon, waste of money IMO. I would boil it until you reach a point where you can stand the tannins. Also what is noticeable in a bucket might not be as noticeable in the aquarium.

cheers,
Mikaila31

 

[WaterHead]

I boiled it for 3 hours yesterday and still leaked, today I am going to boil it for another 3 hours and hopefully that will do it, I never thought that it would take so much.

 

[raptorrex]

it may be worth noting that the tannins in the wood are actually good for your fish. so providing that you can stand the colour of the water there is no real problem.

 

[Spooky76]

Yeh - was going to say its good for the fish, also makes a more 'real' looking environment.
Carbon or active carbon in the filter will also help alot, as will UV.
But leave it soaking for a week, inside and keep changing the water, then it should stop a bit. Mine still does it and its been in about 9 months !!!!!, but its not as bad now.

 

[vinylman]

Every time I read about Bogwood/Mopani wood colouring the water I think I must be the luckiest fishkeeper in the world. I've added three large-ish pieces (10-14 inches each) in my 4ft tank over the last couple of years. I buy them on my way to work when I'm on nights. When I get to work, I clean out the sink in the kitchen next door, then fill it with boiling water. Every 2 hours, I empty the sink and refill it with boiling water. About an hour before I finish work ( I do a 12 hour shift) I take the wood out of the sink and stand it on kitchen paper, then just before I leave for home, put the wood into a large carrier bag. As soon as I get home, it goes into the tank. I've never noticed much (if any) colouring of the tank water. Am I just lucky?.