a good soakin

[you made me ink]

I need some advise about soaking driftwood i got a couple pieces a few days ago and i need to know how to soak them i found an old bucket in my garage and cleaned it with watered down bleach and rinsed it out very well then i filled it up with water and put in a capfull of of dechlor in the water then i put the wood in it sank as soon as i put it in which in happy about so is that ok ?? What else do i need to do and for how long should i soak the wood so i can be completly sure that it'll be safe for the fish? and im in no hurry as my dad still has to build me the stand thanks for the help

 

[OrionGirl]

Was this wood you bought that is specifically for aquariums? If so, most likley a good rinse is about all you need for it to safe. Soaking to remove tannins is another story, and not required for most setups.

 

[you made me ink]

yea i bought it at my LFS who pretty much only sells fish and fish supplies and what not i think its malaysian not 100% on that but pretty sure

 

[you made me ink]

will it turn my water yellow cuz that would really frustrate me -lol- im puttin alot of work into this tank and i want it to be as nice as possible -lol-i even got a glass top which is a big deal (for me atleast -lol-)i want every thing to be nice and what will it do to my water parameters?? thanks for the help

 

[DarkEntity]

Doesnt matter how long you soak wood for, it will always tarnish the water colour to some extent. Dont worry about it though as it will soon dissappear.

 

[you made me ink]

well carbon removes color the water right??? i guess ill just make sure i keep the carbon newer -lol-

 

[Bristlenose Chuck]

Yes Carbon removes the color but you will have to replace the carbon often. It doesnt stay activated for very long.

 

[graphicdesign_r]

My water yellows a bit from the wood if I neglect my water changes, but as long as I keep up on WC's it doesn't...

I have a related question. What are the main negative effects of tannins? I never presoaked any of my driftwood (it is malaysian, supposedly cured specifically for fish tanks). I have sometimes let my water go a few days over normal WC's and had it turn quite yellow, but I've never noticed any real issues with my fish. The only thing that seems to happen is my GTB will flash a little bit to let me know "Hey the water in here is bothering me, CHANGE IT." Flashing behavior stops immediately after WC.

 

[Bristlenose Chuck]

I have a related question. What are the main negative effects of tannins?

It lowers the PH of your tank..thats about it. The tea color will not harm anything. Lots of people try to make their water look like this on purpose.