I screwed up and didn't soak or boil the mopani wood I'd purchased before I put it in my tank, which is intended to house mudskippers. So basically my water is a really nice shade of swamp-brown. I am not going to have any animals in the tank for at least a week and a half or two weeks. So I was wondering if I could just leave the wood in there, keep the filter going, and just do a handful more water changes instead of buying a really big bucket to soak them in? Buckets are hard to come by and one of my pieces is quite large.
Oh no, tannins!
- Thread starter vombatus
- Start date
DAVIDFBT
Extinct? Since when?
I've had the same experience, including the ineffectiveness of carbon. I assume this is due to the great quantity of tannin being released. There's no need to take the wood out, just increase water changes to keep the tannin at an acceptable level. Tannin release will eventually slack off.
You can put the animals in at any time. They won't mind the tannins, and may like them.
You can put the animals in at any time. They won't mind the tannins, and may like them.
I agree, though tannin stained water may appear unsightly to you, your critters will most likely appreciate them. Carbon will help in the long term, but if you filter isn't that large and you have lots of wood, I would say expect tannins for at least a few months.
DAVIDFBT
Extinct? Since when?
Don't forget that carbon loses its ability to take out tannins after a couple of weeks in the water.
iv had reletivley small pieces of wood in some of my tanks for months, and i still see tannins. its no big deal, water changes help the most
