Tinted Water

[Aquaman187]

hi everyone aqua man here I purchased 2 new pieces of driftwood for my neon tetra tank and it looks like my tank water has begun to turn this light shade of brown is it because of the driftwood ? Did not boil wood

 

[thereverendturtle]

Yes it is. The wood releases tannins into the water. The fish like it, but if you don't add some fresh carbon or purigen to your filter and/or do frequent 30-50% water changes.

 

[Aquaman187]

is it beneficial i mean i kind of like it because it defuses the light in the water so it doesn't looked all washed out

 

[thereverendturtle]

Yes for some species it is very beneficial. Most south American fish like the water created by the tannins.

 

[raptorrex]

hi everyone aqua man here I purchased 2 new pieces of driftwood for my neon tetra tank and it looks like my tank water has begun to turn this light shade of brown is it because of the driftwood ? Did not boil wood

yeah, boiling is not the best thing to do with new wood.

as already stated Tannins are, on the whole, good for all fish. and go down well with Inverts too.

as for removing them?
well many people soak the wood for a period of time. ( from days to months)
water changes, as already stated. and/or adding carbon to your filter, (or even a carbon only filter) works well.
but be warned. the carbon is saturated(?) after only a short time. so you will need to change it on a daily or bi daily basis.