# How long do you boil driftwood for?



## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

I boiled it to Dark's comments to make it leech the tannins out faster but seems like I've been making driftwood soup all day on my sick day off (sore throat/headache/arggghhh) boiling it for like 7hrs now with water top ups and full water changes and reboil to remove the tannins. 

How long are you supposed to boil that for? Is there anything else to do to remove all the tannins before putting it back into the fish tank? 

Good thing I wasn't making driftwood soup all day but ended up making 4 pots of chicken stock on the side at the same time while waiting for that driftwood to leech everything out.


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

That's like trying to boil all the red out of a beet. Good luck...

If you're boiling a dark wood...from another post, it sounded like mopani, you'll probably never get it done. What you can do, and probably have done, is go after the tannins on the outermost layer that would have been readily absorbed into the water. Leeching will still happen, but slow enough that normal water changes will take care of it.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

it takes 2 - 3 months of regular water changes before everything's in the clear again, and by that time you're used to it.

I dunno why everyone wants crystal clear water. A lot of people pay to put tannins into the water, and keeps fish healthy. Let it soak out in the tank and everything will be fine


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> I dunno why everyone wants crystal clear water. A lot of people pay to put tannins into the water, and keeps fish healthy. Let it soak out in the tank and everything will be fine


+1. I don't understand what the obsession with crystal clear water is. While I can see the attraction of "floating fish", I wouldn't go out of my way to create more work (boiling driftwood) for myself.


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

i don't really see the point either. if it really bugs you just add carbon to the filter and change it regularely.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> it takes 2 - 3 months of regular water changes before everything's in the clear again, and by that time you're used to it.
> 
> I dunno why everyone wants crystal clear water. A lot of people pay to put tannins into the water, and keeps fish healthy. Let it soak out in the tank and everything will be fine


+2

I cant even see 6'' in my Panaque tank LOL The fish love it


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

not to beat on a dead horse....but yes, there is no point trying to remove the tannin. You dont have to go as tannin stained as Jackson's panaque tank....XD, since you wont be having that much wood in the tank...but some tannin is beneficial for the fish and gives it a more natural look.

although I do boil all of my wood when I first gets them, not for the purpose of tannin removal, but for the idea of disinfecting and aiding the sink factor. In this case, I just boil in salt water for like 2 hours.


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