Tannins?

[PRW1988]

How long until the tannins leak out into my tank? I've got 2 pieces of bogwood (it makes up I think about 3lbs of wood) in my 5gallon hex and it pretty much fills the tank. It's going to be a small blackwater biotope, but I was wondering how long it'll take for the water to turn brown. It's only been a day right now and I see very little, if any leaching at all.

 

[Snooks1!]

I think you're just out of luck... Looks as if your driftwood just..isn't going to leach any out

Though, it may still leach some into it. Maybe you could try using a bit of coconut husk instead of driftwood, I was going to stick half a husk in my 10gal sorority tank and it immediately started leaching. But, it's not really the look I was going for so I took it out.

 

[PRW1988]

hmmm... Well, I guess I'll leave the wood in and wait, that or find a smaller piece of wood at my work, place it in my 5gallon then when it leaches (once I'm happy with the tank look) transfer it over to my 55gallon for my plecos.

 

[Matty P]

Was the wood used before or is it straight from the shop?

 

[PRW1988]

Straight from the shop...

 

[adamgreen240]

i bought a few peieces straight fo the shop once, did not soak it or anything and it never leached anything. Did you know you can buy blackwater extract and just add that to the water. I think tetra do it

 

[Chuka1212]

In my experience the driftwood I have used always leaches tannins within 3 or 4 days, so you never know, you could see some leaching. I have heard some woods release more or less than others. I have Mopani and Malaysian hardwood in my 30 gallon Amazon tank and I saw a good amount of leaching with both. The Mopani wood leached tannins for about 6 months, then it quit. If yours doesn't release tannins could be that your driftwood was harvested from the water where it had already released most of its tannins or that it had been previously used... I would wait though, mine always take a couple days to see a difference in the water.

 

[nukeonekitty]

Mine took about 3 weeks before it started leaching oddly enough and it has for about 6 months now.

 

[Bignose]

You could always get some blackwater extract or some peat to put in the filter -- it's kind of funny most threads on the forum are about getting rid of tannins. But, there are lots of ways to get them back in. Heck, if your ground isn't snow covered, you could get a bunch of fallen leaves and put those in the tank.

 

[PRW1988]

It's too early in the season where I am to get peat moss, and I can't find tetra blackwater anywhere... BUT! Good news the woods finally begun to leak so it's good now, the woods leaked not to too much, but enough to be noticeable, I'm planning on adding the neons that I currently have (Housed in a 2.5gallon tank with some babies for the time being) into the 5gallon hex around thursday

 

[Matty P]

Glad to hear it is finally starting to leak. Got any pictures???

 

[PRW1988]

I'll get some up soon only wood in the tank, no fish, no plants, 13watt compact flouresent light for when I do have plants

 

[Matty P]

Is it not cycled yet then? How long you been cycling for if you are?

 

[PRW1988]

It's been cycling for about 2 and a half weeks time already, but still some spikes.

Pics

And I got one specificly for you matty, since I see from your site you like your clownfish...

The coral is a gondioporus(spelling?)

 

[PRW1988]

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