wood

[AthagaMor]

I've got a 38g w.i.p. tank nearing the end of its cycling and am trying to get all set up. Last week I went and bought some plants and some wood.

I've got one piece of 'walabi wood' and on chunk of 'grape vine'. I was told that the would release (?) tanic (sp?) into the water and it would turn amber or yellow. I was told that this would "eventually" go away. Well, its been a weak, and although I did expect it gone by anymeans yet, it seems to be getting... VERY amber, to the point that when the light is off it looks almost muddy or like iodine.

I do have a couple fish in the tank to help along the cycling (not the best fish for the job - found out after getting them). The spotted Raph. cat hides and feeds at night (usual) and is hard to observe, but the bumblebee gobies (I know, I know brackish water - my screw up) seem pretty happy actually. The gobies swim around all day in a tiny group.

Anyway...

Is there anything I can do to start lessening the color (other than taking the wood out)? I've never heard of water changes during cycling... is that an option? Is it going to set my back - timewise? Can I expect it to go away soon?

Also, not being entirely sure the salesperson was honest with me, what is that wood going to do to my water chemistry? I would guess it would make it acidic...? Is the amber/yellowness anything like blackwater...? (sorry if these are dumb questions)

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[OrionGirl]

Water changes during cycling will help the fish out. Do them--daily if needed--and keep the ammonia from rising above 1.0 ppm.

Tannins will lower the pH of your water. The tea stain can last anywhere from a few weeks to months to years--depends on the wood, and the rate of leaching. Running carbon in your filter, replacing it weekly, will help.

[Gulp]

Originally posted by AthagaMor
I've never heard of water changes during cycling... is that an option?

Yikes. Good thing you came here. Do those water changes. :D Test the water frequently during the initial cycle and change the water (15-20% is a good number) if any of the readings are bad.

As far as the wood goes, take it out and try boiling it a few times. I did this with my last batch and it worked wonders. The first few pots were very tea colored, but now, even after boiling it is fairly clear. Sometimes the wood takes a little patience. Give the boiling method a shot and see if it helps. You might have to do it several times.

[AthagaMor]

Gulp, hehe, yeah I've never done water changes during the intial cycling (1st month or so). I usually only have a couple hardy fish in the tank at this time to induce amonnia build up and start the ANN cycle going. I am good at remembering to them after the setup though *wink*. I wasn't sure if the water changes would mess up the growth of bacteria.

"Tannins", yeah that's what they were called! the guy at the LFS said that the tannins were good for the fish and plants too. Any truth in that?

I'll do a water change tonight and see if I can tone it down.

I'm going to try to hold off with boiling, though I will keep it in mind if I can't get the water changes to work.

On charcoal: I have some in my power filter atm, however i just got done reading an article (it was a thekrib.com seminar article) about planted tanks and it said that charcoal is actually bad for planted tanks b/c it takes out heavy metals and other things (all of which are trace elements that the plants need) - I suppose this varies on the amount of heavy metals in your tap water too. I could probably replace the charcoal in the filter now, but I was actually thinking about taking it out all together. (maybe replace it with a bit of sponge of something to compensate...) Thoguhts?