What kind of wood is this???

[Zaffy]

The pH doesn't actually matter as much, what is important is that it doesn't change a great deal. Adding this wood will not harm your fish at all as long as you do regular tank maintenance.

The thing that is more important, but maybe harder to understand about pH is buffering. You can think of buffering as the ability of the tank to resist changing pH.

Search for posts by a user named KarlTh, imo he is a great resource for people on this topic.

 

[LMBDave]

I know that tannins will tint your water brown and lower pH. You don't want to try to change your pH, messing with your pH is more dangerous than a pH that is slightly off.

To get rid of the tannins simply soak the driftwood for a few days changing the water often (I changed it a couple of times a day and it was ready in a couple of days) until the water no longer turns brown and or turns tea colored. If you put it in your tank and there are still tannins in the wood and it turns your water brown then you should take it out of the tank and soak it some more. To get rid of the tannins that leached out of the wood and into the tank simply add activated carbon to your filter.

ok got it. So what exactly is ph?

 

[dsaavedra]

in short pH is the acidity or alkalinity of your water. by definition it is a logarithm of the activity of dissolved hydronium ions in the water.

 

[LMBDave]

in short pH is the acidity or alkalinity of your water. by definition it is a logarithm of the activity of dissolved hydronium ions in the water.

i see. so where does this acidity or alkalinity come from?

 

[Sploke]

Aqueous solution with a higher amount of H+ ions has a lower pH, and is considered acidic, solution with a lower amount of H+ ions is higher on the pH scale and considered basic.

 

[msjinkzd]

your driftwood will not likely effect your water enough to cause any pH/hardness issues. Some people find tannins unsightly, i am one who prefers them.