Safe Tank Decorations

[Kashta]

Real driftwood releases tannins when submerged. That's what makes the water tea colored. But this is temporary. As time passes, it goes away and your water will turn clear again. How long this will take depends on the wood, so just wait and it'll go away.

 

[tekonus]

I love the Mopani driftwood I got from DrFosterSmith in my tank. Since I boiled it for about 2 hours and let it dry overnight before putting it in the tank I didn't get a lot of tannins at all. Nothing that I noticed since I do regular water changes every 5 days or so anyway. Also, all I did for my backround was a black piece of construction paper at my local Arts & Crafts store that was like $1 for a HUGE piece that I just cut to fit my tank... if it gets wet and ruined I'll pay another $1 and remake it... no big deal. I really love having the black backround though, it makes everything else in the tank look that much better.