Yellow water (Tannin)

[leibniz]

I recently bought some driftwood from an aquarium shop. I soaked it for over 24 hours to get rid of most of the tannin that would otherwise make the aquarium water yellow.

After placing the wood in the tank it was fine for a day or so but now the water is yellowish. Will this eventually go away after water changes etc?

 

[famman]

Yes, but it will take a while. You can boil the wood and pour off the water several times while you are doing it, this will rid you of most of the tannins. A lot of carbon for a short period of time in your filter can also help.

 

[Gebo]

I know I'm gonna get some "boos and hisses" but the only thing I found that rids my driftwood tanks of the yellow color is...........................the infamous charcoal carbon. Matrix and Marineland's. Please don't throw the rotten fruit.

It will work overnight.

gebo

 

[OrionGirl]

Removing tannins from water is a legitimate use of carbon.

However, depending on what fish you have, some of them (amazon basin, primarily) will love that tea-stained water. I don't bother removing the tannins from my tank--it doesn't cause a problem for the fish.

 

[Dale W.]

Some of the woods out there can take months to totally get rid of the tannins. It is not harmfull to fish in light amounts but if it is heavily staining the water, you should remove some of it through water changes and carbon. A light yellow tinge is nothing to worry about as Orion mentioned.

 

[leibniz]

Yellow water cont...

I have a Marineland Eclipse System, so I have the filter cartridges containing carbon. Is that good enough for clarifying the water over time? I don't know what else I could do in terms of adding carbon to remove the colouring.

PS Thanks to everyone for replying to my original message.

 

[palehorse78]

whats wrong with marineland charcol carbon i have some should i not be useing it

 

[OrionGirl]

If the carbon is fresh, it will be adequate. If it's been running for more than about 5 days, the carbon won't be working any more.

Most people don't use carbon all the time because it does wear out so quickly, and isn't needed in most tanks. Carbon is great for pulling out meds following treatment, removing tannins, and helping clear up any odors. Beyond that, it's mostly just another bed for bacteria, especially in the long run.

 

[poopyhead021]

Using carbon (charcoal) in tanks

I've beenan avid aquarist for 10 years, on and off, and just recently reading some of the posts here, it seems that activated charcoal has fallen from grace. Is this based on anything in particular?

 

[Kasakato]

Dude. This is like 2 years old.
Things have changed! Even though I have no clue what went on back then, I know what is up now. Anything active in your filter will only be active for 1-2 weeks. After that it is uselss. You would have to change it every 2 weeks which can take lots of $$$.