Tannin free driftwood

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Oli

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Hi guys,

I am looking to change my tank to a planted tank and love the look of the picture below. I have never used driftwood or plants and have read that lots of driftwood releases tannins, changing the colour of the water. I am set on having crystal clear water as I don’t like the look otherwise. Is there any kind of particular driftwood that looks like this and will not turn the waters colour. I’d be fine with fake driftwood if anyone can link to something that looks like the one below!
Thanks
 

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If you want some real driftwood without so much tannin leakage the best option is to boil it up for a few hours then leave it too soak for as long as you can (days ideally). Switch out the water often. Some wood will put out more than others but it will get the worst of it out of the way by doing this.

Some tannins in the tank is good for a lot of fish though and If you run with a black or dark background on the tank you wont notice it if there is a little there. Running activated Carbon in the filter will remove it from the water as well but this needs to be replaced regularly and is in my opinion overkill.
 
I find the best way to get rid of tannins is to have a bucket or clean tub and fill with water and a small powerhead or filter to create water movement.

Change water every few days or so when you see the water turn brownish coloured by the tannins, usually by end of week 2 or 3 the water should be fairly good.

This is my method and it works for me, quite a few water changes but end result should be good waterlogged wood free of tannins.

I find that boiling wood breaks down the fibres of the wood quicker and can result in the driftwood breaking apart quicker.

If youre worried about possible critters or containments, pour hot water from kettle all over the wood several times, that generally does the trick I think.

This is using wood I buy from LFS by the way, I have never collected wood from forest or anything like that as I fear it may contain unwanted chemicals that may be hard to get rid of, unlikely perhaps but I always prefer to play it safe than be sorry.
 
I find that boiling wood breaks down the fibres of the wood quicker and can result in the driftwood breaking apart quicker.
This is a good point and I didn't clarify when I boil it I mean like a gentle simmering, not a heavy rolling boil. This is right though it can damage the wood and just soaking works as well but just takes longer.
 
If you're using them in an aquarium, make sure to boil them changing out the water 4 or 5 times to minimize the leaching of tannins - I've had them in my tank for a couple weeks now and have noticed minimal leaching of tannins (also running Purigen to keep the water clear).
 
I have 25kg of wood in my tank And although I wouldn’t mind the tannins I get non really , how slow they release and the dilution every week from water changes I would expect you would never see any staining at all from a bit of wood
 
I have 25kg of wood in my tank And although I wouldn’t mind the tannins I get non really , how slow they release and the dilution every week from water changes I would expect you would never see any staining at all from a bit of wood
That can very much depend on the wood type though. Some wont leech anything at all and other will still be colouring the water years later.
 
I would highly recommend manzanita driftwood. It has that nice branchy look and very little tannins. There was no noticeable change in the color of my tank's water when I added 3 16 inch pieces to my 55. I didn't boil it first, I just sunk it cause I didn't know.
 

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