Quick Question...

[antere07]

Hey im new to the forum new to fish keeping

I just got my aquarium 60 litre tank set up for tropical fish ive been running it through since this time last week with no fish all was going fine untill i put some bog wood in =/

I bought it on saturday and the bloke in the shop said i had to soak it till the water in the bucket or whatever was clear which I knew anyway. He also said i could just put it straight into the aquarium but i would get an orange/brown tinge to the water but he said it would boost the ph levels in the water.

So i decided to soak the wood for a couple of days so i done it, kept changing the water untill it was clear then when the water was clear just to make sure i put some warm water left it for a few more hours and again that was clear so i put it into my tank yesterday woke up this morning turned the light on and my water has gone orange/brown

How do i get rid of the orange/brown colour to the water do i have to start all over again or will it go in a few days?

 

[drobbyb]

That's the tannins (tannic acid) leaching from the wood. They are harmless to fish, and some types seem to do better with them. It will soften your water a bit and may lower your pH a little. Carbon will remove the tannins from your water, but you will have to replace the carbon every 3 days (once carbon hits the water it is only active for about 3 days.)

So basically what I am saying is that it's almost harmless unless you don't like the look of it.

 

[antere07]

will it filter its way out eventually?

 

[Squid]

It will gradually reduce over time, and the water will reduce in the brown tinge through use of the carbon filter or water changes. How long can really depend on the different bits of bogwood. Mine took ages

 

[antere07]

ok thanks

 

[Assaye]

Getting the tannins out of the wood can take days, if not weeks. Either take the wood out and do some big water changes or leave it in and put up with the colour while you do water changes. Active carbon in the filter might help.

Btw, how are you cycling your tank? What method are you using?

 

[antere07]

well i got my tank last monday set everything up then on tuesday i got some nutrafin cycle done 3 daily doses of that as it said on the bottle then from then on every thing is running and ive just been putting food in

 

[Assaye]

Food will cycle your tank but it's hard to control the doses and it could be well over a month before everything has settled down.

Nutrafin Cycle will NOT cycle your tank for you. I know the bottle says it will and I know the people at the pet store may have recommended it, but the best way to cycle your tank is with ammonia. Doing this the right way does take time but it is easy to do and makes the tank safe for the fish.

Please read the stuff on cycling here: Linky

Essentially, all you need is a bottle of ammonia and a decent test kit. I'd really consider using this method as it will grow all the bacteria you need and help prevent your fish getting hurt during the cycle (because you won't have any!)

 

[antere07]

my mate suggested for me to get the nutrafin cycle. But then my dad has had his aquarium for 4/5 years now and he done his cycle for a week just putting food in and touch wood he has never had a problem a few fish have died from swim blader problems but thats it

 

[plecostomus-mad]

i would be pointing you to the newbie faq part of the forum alot of your questions can be answered here. defiantly take a look at the tank cycling, maybe a bit of a read but it is well worth it

 

[antere07]

yer ill have a butchers tomorrow as im going bed now