I want to KEEP the tannins! How?

Tamberav

Tamberav

AC Members
Dec 29, 2007
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I have mopani wood and it has leeched some nice tannins into my tank but I forgot to take out the carbon and due to water changes it has gotten a bit lighter. I put in a new filter without Carbon today.

I never tried peat before but I have a nice sandy bottom with some pretty agates and I don't want to mess that up.

Besides oak leaves (which I can only get in the fall) is there anyway to keep the dark color? I have Neons and a Dwarf Gourami so I am sure they appreciate it.

I saw some bottled stuff but wasn't sure if it was a good thing to use or not?

Do you think the tannin will come back now that the carbon is gone? It's still there just not as dark. I have never boiled the wood before and have read it could leech for years, is this true? (I hope so!)

Thanks for any info.
 
Peat bags and more chunks of driftwood. Different species will give off different amounts for various lengths of time. Kind of play it as it goes for the affect you want.
 
Tamberav said:
I saw some bottled stuff but wasn't sure if it was a good thing to use or not?
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They're basically extracts of tannins and is more expensive compared to peat ad driftwoods. You want the more affordable stuff. If you have access to unlimited supply of oak and Indian almond leaves, that would be excellent.
Do you think the tannin will come back now that the carbon is gone? It's still there just not as dark. I have never boiled the wood before and have read it could leech for years, is this true? (I hope so!)
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Woods will leach them for a long time so it is true but the amount released diminishes over time so you will want to keep peat in your filter or get some leaves.
 
If money doesn't matter over the long term you can use a product By Kent called Black Water Expert (not extract). It will stain the water but does not alter pH. I have used this product in a few tanks over the years. It also seems to help with spawning those fish that come from black water environs. I have also found that plants seem to like the stuff as well and for a while was dosing it along with ferts. However the cost was just t0o great to do this in multiple tanks.

You can also make your own by boiling down peat to create your own extract. However, if dosed over a certain point it will effect pH.
 
Any idea if boiling peat would give off that smell of burning peat in a fireplace? Love that smell, but no fireplace in the apartment....
 
j_chicago said:
Any idea if boiling peat would give off that smell of burning peat in a fireplace? Love that smell, but no fireplace in the apartment....
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probably not... a brewing pot of coffee smells great, but you ever burnt it? disgusting.

releasing aromas and such via boiling is different than the smoky peat smell youre thinking of.
 
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