Usually how long are you suppose to soak the driftwood before you put it in your tank. I was soaking a fairly large piece for about 2 days and then put in in my tank. After a couple of days i noticed that the water started turning a bit yellowish so i did a water change. Now im noticing the water to turn a bit yellow again. Is this bad for the fish? im thinking about taking the piece out and continue soaking it in a cooler. Thanks guys.
Driftwood in my 55 gallon
- Thread starter 7eddie7
- Start date
it is just tannins leaching from the wood. Some peices of driftwood you have to soak for months to get rid of the tannins while others, you don't have to soak for that long at all.
The tannins are no harm to the tank. Like you have said, they just turn the water a tea color. I have had mopani driftwood in my 30 gallon for 5 months now and it has not stopped leaching tannins. I am perfectly fine with the "blackwater" look though. You can try and add extra carbon to your filter or soak the wood for longer if you don't want the tannins.
The tannins are no harm to the tank. Like you have said, they just turn the water a tea color. I have had mopani driftwood in my 30 gallon for 5 months now and it has not stopped leaching tannins. I am perfectly fine with the "blackwater" look though. You can try and add extra carbon to your filter or soak the wood for longer if you don't want the tannins.
And if the wood is too big for a pot on the stove, a few cycles through the dishwasher does the same thing, but double check that there isnt soap in it first.
It is beneficial to the fish as well. The tannins promote health by lowing the pH in your tank. The more acidic water helps fight off bad bacteria. Pretty sure that I read that somewhere.
My 3.5ft driftwood didn't start leaking tannins until about 3 months into it being in my tank, and just now it's starting to sink, 6 months after having it weighted down. It was in my 55g at first and the tannins would darken the water so much, it was as if I had no lights on the tank at all. It really annoyed me, but since I've moved it into my 120g, no tea color, no idea why that is. I did leave it out in the air for about 4 days.
I read somewhere tannins is bad for people and other animals, is that at all true or did I just dream that up...hm..
Not bad, but interesting.
http://www.widomaker.com/~jnavia/tannins/tannexpl.htm
I read somewhere tannins is bad for people and other animals, is that at all true or did I just dream that up...hm..
Not bad, but interesting.
http://www.widomaker.com/~jnavia/tannins/tannexpl.htm
Tannins are quite good for us actually - you find them in all sorts of places. Tea, coffee, red wine, and dark fruits are full of them!
They're also good for your fish, especially if they come from S. America where this type of water is predominant.
They're also good for your fish, especially if they come from S. America where this type of water is predominant.
I've had driftwood in my tank for a couple of months and soaked it for a fortnight before putting it in and it is sill making the water go yellowish. I just carry out the normal weekly water change and change the carbon filter regularly to keep it under control. All the fish are very healthy so its not doing them any harm at the moment.
