Too much tannin?

[NinjaSmurf]

I put driftwood I cleaned and scrubbed really well so no worries there, but my tank is really dark, I don't know if that's normal or what, and can too much of it kill my fish? I don't mind the color, but I don't want dead fish. Can they overdose?

 

[Jaded_Pulse]

Yeah, bogwood & driftwood actually release tannic acid (tannin), so you'll find your pH will probably have gone down, possibly quite a bit. I believe it's meant to be soaked in a bucket of dechlorinated water, which is changed every couple of days for 2-3 weeks. This gets most of the tannins out & waterlogs it so that it sinks easier in the tank. If you haven't done this, try it, & also do a water change if you find your pH is too low.

HTH, goodluck

 

[CFC]

Tannic acid will not drop your pH below 6 so unless you have alkeline loving fish such as rift valley cichlids (Malaiwis and Tanganykians eyc) it will not harm your fish. Adding some carbon to your filter will remove a lot of the tannin from the water.

 

[FishDan]

I also think that if your pH does drop it will be a gradual drop, not overnight or even over a couple days. And for the most part, regular water changes should also help to minimize the pH lowering effects of the driftwood. I have added large pieces of driftwood to my tanks, and there is no appreciable difference in my pH level. The wood has been in one tank for about 5 days, in the other tank for about a month. The tannins are not toxic, and won't harm your fish. In addition to carbon in your filter, regular water changes will also remove some of the darkness.

\Dan

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I have carbon in the filter, I wasn't too worried about it at first because I read other posts about driftwwod, but I keep getting my mom coming in and she's like 'Are you sure that isn't too dark?' cause with the tank light off you can barely see the back of the tank. After hearing this about ten times I started getting kinda paranoid. I guess I'll do some water changes then and see what happens. Thanks!

 

[MollyPlatyLuvr]

Just "scrubbing" the driftwood isn't enough to prepare it for the aquarium.

I've got driftwood in mine, and it isn't turning my water brown because I prepped it first. Here's what I did.

I put the driftwood in a pot of water and boiled it for half an hour. Poured the water down the drain, put fresh water in, boiled again. I did this three or four times.

After boiling it, I soaked it in dechlorinated water for I think a week, changing the water completely every 2 days.

If you JUST soak it, it will take longer. You could alternatively just boil it over and over until the water you pour out of the pot is clear, but I'm not sure how many times boiling that would take.

After the driftwood stops leeching color into the water, then it's safe to put into your tank.

 

[FishDan]

After the driftwood stops leeching color into the water, then it's safe to put into your tank.

Even if the driftwood leeches tannins into the water it is perfectly safe. Though boiling it is also a good idea, especially if the driftwood was found in the wild by you or someone else. Most LFS driftwood will be safe, though soaking it will ensure it gets waterlogged and sinks. Boiling it will ensure any bacteria is killed. But again, tannins are perfectly safe. In fact, some fish we keep may prefer the darker water as it more closely resembles their natural habitat.

\Dan

 

[TorPeteO]

I bought some Mopani driftwood from my LFS, and the sales associate said that I should boil it for 30 minutes, change the water, and then let it soak for while to get rid of excess tannic acid in it. I did that, and though it did colour my water afterwards, it wasn't to an incredible extent.

Also, like FishDan said, some fish actually like the lower pH and the darker tint to the water.

Water changes are significantly lightening the water, and it should be almost entirely gone from my tank in a few weeks (I do water changes 25% once a week).

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I would boil it but I don't have a pot big enough for any of the pieces. The best I could do was let them soak in hot water in the sink, and even then I can't fit them the whole way in it. So far none of the fish seem to mind and I think the cories rather like it, they're much more active now that it's in.

 

[CFC]

Take a look at these pics http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=44848
not one of those bits of bogwood has ever been soaked or boiled and i have never had any problems with the pH dropping. If you keep fish from blackwater habitats (like corys, tetras etc) then they will love the bit of colour the tannin adds to the water.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Just had to comment...

Soak wood for 2-3 weeks?!! There's just no need!! I soak mine for a few hours, chaning the water often. I have never seen a difference in the colour of the tanks but I imagine that the fish would like it.

 

[Max Action]

I have to struggle to keep my ph above 6.0 or 6.2 thanks to the 4 pieces of african bogwood in my tank. My tap puts out 7.2 or so.