Water Discolored

[SchottayB]

Hi guys, I added some wood to my tank ... about 2 months ago ( I left the wood in soak for about a week )

But my water still keeps going abit brown, from the wood i'm guessing.

What is there that I can do to help me get the water back clear? Been doing my usual water changes, it helps it to start with, but will go back to a slight brown after a few days

Thanks!

 

[angelfishguy]

its tannins in the wood,
i think if you boil it for a while it shouldnt be so bad

 

[SchottayB]

its tannins in the wood,
i think if you boil it for a while it shouldnt be so bad

So i've just got to take my wood out the tank, boil it in tap water and chuck it back in?

Simple as that?

 

[AdamM]

carbon in the filter will remove the tannic acid...

 

[Squid]

I had a big old knarly bit of wood that made the water go yellow/brown for ages. It can take a while, but the above advice can help in the mean time..

i also soaked the wood for a month before putting it into the tank, changing the water with hot water every day.

Squid

 

[Bebobb]

It is the tannins from the wood you added that are making the water this color. Many people find it attractive. It helps lower the pH of the water. The activated carbon in the filter, will cancel out what the tannins do. Therefor, if you have carbon in your filter, then the tannins won't affect your pH. They don't drastically change it, and in fact many South American cichlid owners prefer tannins in their water. Over a period of 1-2 years, the tannins will wear off, and your water color will be back to how it use to be.

You can boil it for a while to get the tannins out. I'm not sure how long, because I prefer the tannins in my tank. Hope I helped!

 

[Elaine2]

I've had the same problem in the past. These days I tend to soak wood in a big bucket for a couple of months before adding to the tank (changing the water in the biucket daily and putting it in hot) or alternatively boling stuff that will fit into a very large pan. As others have mentioned, filtering over carbon will help.