# Soaking wood



## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

*soaking wood*

Ive soaked a piece of wood for a week but its still bleeding color... Should I keep soaking it or is it ok to put it in the tank..

bought it at BA's and there was no tag saying what kind it was.


----------



## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

you know common sense tells me to keep soaking it... I just really want to have it in my tank


----------



## ozi (Aug 23, 2007)

were you changing the water daily during that week of soaking??? that helps a lot in speeding the process. if you weren't, i recommend you do so now. 
also if you have activated charcoal in your filter, the tannins will be somewhat removed.


----------



## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

Ya I changed the water usually a couple times a day and used hot water to refill it every time. One time i put water conditioner in it too.. just thought it was a good idea at the time.

I can't believe the amount of color thats in it...


----------



## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

That is a long time for a really noticeable amount of water discoloration given the frequent water changes you are doing. What kind of wood is it?


----------



## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

There was no tag on the wood I bought. 

There were other pieces of wood in the bin i got it out of and i seem to remember them saying 'GEOWOOD' ( I think thats just the brand though ) on the tag but I didn't pay attention to it... I was looking for one that was attractive.

It was like 22 bucks.. I don't know if that helps..

Its dark wood.. I can snap a pic of it.. maybe even one of it in the water to show you the color, although that will have to wait till tomorrow cause I've changed the water today already..


----------



## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

WOW

Ok I was totally wrong about that, I just went to take a pic of it and it had bled this much in a couple hours... the water was still very warm from the last water change...

Pics haven't been altered other than thier size.

Obviously I need to soak it longer.... like 6 mnths or so


----------



## ozi (Aug 23, 2007)

i remember reading in several places that boiling it for a couple of hours(or maybe more, i'm not really sure) should make the wood sink to the bottom (not your problem) and release a massive amount of it's tannins.


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

I soak mine for a week in boiling/salted water. This ensures all nasties are killed, then I soak it for an additional week changing the water each night and by then its usually good to go.


----------

