English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

I have a 55 gallon tank. I have 2 peaces of driftwood that i want to add. The pet store that i purchased the wood from said just let it soak in water over night. Some people in the online forums say to boil it in water. i have done bouth of these things and the water still has a "tea color" to it. Now I don't want the tank to turn that color and if there is no way around that will it clear with time?

2007-04-04 03:47:37 · 6 answers · asked by rickstsi 1 in Pets Fish

6 answers

Boiling it will help reduce the color you are seeing, but nothing short of sealing the wood will completely prevent that color. A good activated carbon in the filter will help remove the vast majority of the color though.

MM

2007-04-04 04:01:55 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1 0

The boil/soak method is best...boil the piece for a few hours then soak it until the piece rests on the bottom of the soaking container (changing the water everyday or every couple of days at the most).

The brown is the tannic acid leaching out of the piece into the water. Some people like this because it gives them a "black water effect". The leaching can continue for months or years after you introduce the piece to your tank. The boil/soak treatment helps to decrease the amount of tannic acid that leaches out once the piece is in the tank. Another way to reduce this "black water effect" is to do more frequent/larger (percentage) water changes. It has also been noted that the tannic acid can lower the pH in your tank. If you are concerned about this, then keep an eye on your pH level with regular testing.

Another suggestion is to find a piece that has been "weathered", supposedly the piece will contain less tannic acid, as it will have already leached out during the "weathering" process. You can also add another carbon cartridge to your filter system to help clear up the staining.

Be sure to change your carbon cartridge more often if you have a very active leaching piece.

2007-04-04 11:00:15 · answer #2 · answered by icy_tempest 5 · 3 0

I have been curing driftwood for my aquariums these past couple months and the best method to get rid of the tannins is to change the water when boiling the driftwood when the water gets really brown.

There is no instant method in getting rid of the tannic acid because , depending on the size of the wood, it could take from 3 days to a couple of months. There are ways in which you can shorten the time of curing. Such as scrubbing the driftwood.

2007-04-04 13:18:26 · answer #3 · answered by flipnotik 3 · 0 0

Driftwood from a pet store should be cleaned already so you don't have to clean it. It is going to disintegrate a little at a time if you are using aquarium salt. A majority of pet shops recommend using aquarium salt to prevent stress, parasites and add essential elements to the water. It takes a long time for a piece of driftwood to sink to the bottom of the tank. We sell pieces with slate screwed onto the bottom. It is made by Driftwood Arts and available at most pet shops. If you have to, secure the wood with a rock by the sides of it. By the way, plecos really like to nibble on driftwood.

2007-04-08 04:48:47 · answer #4 · answered by kriend 7 · 0 0

Boiling it makes sure there are no parasites or other nasties in the wood. You just have to keep soaking in until it stops turning the water colors, everyday you will have to replace the water with new clean water. The color doesn't hurt anything though so you can put it in anytime you want if you don't mind the color for a while.

2007-04-04 11:01:03 · answer #5 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 1 0

If you've boiled it, you should be set.. although if you're still worried dump the water and boil it again.

2007-04-04 10:53:38 · answer #6 · answered by Brian B 2 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers