# Q about wood



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I have 1 peice that i really like but it makes the water look like tea and i really dont want the new tank looking like tea .
What can i do to stop this wood from doing that ?
i forget the name of the wood but it starts with an M -monipi something like that ....
It is very nice .....
Tonight i am going in and fixing things up and getting my wood in .
Thanks


----------



## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Either soak it in lots of water (in a bucket, and change the water every few days) or boil it to leach out the Tannins.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

TYVM ........ i shall see if i can find a pot big enough lol


----------



## mr.sandman (Mar 22, 2007)

If there is still tanin after you did all that steps and you've put it in your tank, you can use activated carbon to remove the tanin. When the tanin is gone, remove the carbon from your filter.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

tyvm...........


----------



## proud2bcanadian (Nov 13, 2006)

The answers above are right, boil or soak it or use carbon in the tank. Now, just note that with the carbon, you'll have to replace it often. One package will not take all of the tanin out. After about 4-6 months, you won't have too dark of a tint in your water though if you want to wait it out.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

i boiled it ......... soaking now ... think i may put it in a bucket with HOB running carbon .
I definately dont want tea water lol
And it looks like it will take a long time to get out .
I will set up a bucket tonight after i finish the tank .
thanks


----------



## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

depending on the piece it could take a long time....just keep changing the water.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I think it will take a long time ..which is too bad its a nice looking one .
Think i could stick it in the shrimp tank ?
would it bother the shrimp?


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

The tannins that are released from the wood won't harm fish or invertebrates, it just looks unsightly (to some people. Other people enjoy the tea colour).


----------



## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi blossom,

I've read on various sights that the tannins are beneficial to fish and plants. As for the shrimps, I have 2 pieces in my 55 with amano shrimp. Mind you the water is not tea coloured, it isn't crystal clear though and the shrimps seem fine, in fact they spend 70-80 % of thier time on the wood.

Ross


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Thanks ...... i hate the tea color and these really make a dark tea color lol
I shall put in the shrim tank or ...........trade ......shall see.


----------



## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I've got a few pieces that are still leeching tannins...not too worried about that part, but gotta figure out if they are cedar or not before they can go into the tanks.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Well no need to put it in a bucket now ....lol
I just put it back in the 40 gl and might as well just keep it running .
Gonna put a few plecos in it that no one wants ...........hopefully they are the same sex rolmao ......
Put that wood to work lol
i put lots carbon in and ill change it 2 or 3 times a week


----------



## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Well i found this thread but didn't really get the answers i was looking for. But here we go...

I just picked up two pieces of driftwood... malaysian. I brought them home and started soaking them... the water went "tea" colored. They been soaking for a while and the color slowly got darker but very slowly... I boiled one of the pieces for like 20 minutes with my rocks and stuff that i'm trying to get the detergent out of... (which by the way i think i have accomplished... but would rather be sure than sorry) And I noticed that the water that was boiling the wood is a way darker color than the water in the soaking bucket....

I beleive to get the tannins out of the wood... boiling is definitly the best method... just from seeing the color difference 20 minutes of boiling had compared to 4-5 hours of soaking.but to tell you the truth... i still think this is gonna take a long time... i have to boil the other piece of wood too but it's slightly too big for my biggest pot. I figure if i can dedicate enough time tomorrow to boiling these pieces by tuesday i should be able to put them in the tank... we'll see... i'll keep y'all updated!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I did boil mine a few times and still tea ... think after you boil take the advice here of running it in a bucket with HOB and carbon ... I havent done that as of yet but I will be buying more and trying it ....
yes let me know how it goes!!! thanks a bunch!


----------



## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Hmmm, this worries me cause yeah.. today i woke up and the bucket that's soaking is dark tea... i wonder how long it will be before i can get all these damn tannins out!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

try running carbon !.... let me know how that works out !


----------



## Sameer (Sep 30, 2007)

If the woods to big to boil, you can pop it in your oven and bake it.



> Another method is to bake the wood in an oven on low heat (200 degrees F) for several hours. I prefer my old outdoor gas grill. Usually the wood fits nicely inside and I can close the lid and simmer it on low heat for as long as I like. When baking the wood, keep a careful eye on it. The dry heat of baking can allow the wood to catch fire, so check on it frequently.


http://www.tetra-fish.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2268


----------



## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

thanks sameer. the wood that's too big for the boiling is actually just slightly big... i'm probably just gonna break a piece off and boil it too... i personally think boiling is the most effective by far. I think when i go home today i'm just gonna keep boiling the stuff till the water i pour out is clear after hours of boiling. But I appreciate the suggestion greatly! And one day someone with driftwood too big for their pots will take that suggestion!

And i'm not gonna bother with the carbons. But i do have some carbon inside my aquaclear right now so whenever i do put the wood in.. if it still leaches out color... i will have to buy more of the carbon sections of the filter and run them. But I do plan on trying to leach out all the tannins before putting it in... and yes... i'm very intent on this... as i'm not a fan of the tea color.  So we still wait for the updates. I'll post soon i think...


----------



## Camper (Feb 7, 2009)

Darkblade48 said:


> The tannins that are released from the wood won't harm fish or invertebrates, it just looks unsightly (to some people. Other people enjoy the tea colour).


thats correct, it won't harm the fish at all. I personally love the tan, it gave more of a natural look to it


----------



## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

I had to soak a piece of wood for like 3 weeks to get all the coloration out of the water. I did it in a bucket and filled it with hot water.. fricken annoying!

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2837&highlight=wood

That was a while ago..


----------



## mointhehouse128 (Feb 7, 2009)

I personally love the tannins. Also I keep it in my shrimp tanks cause it lowers the ph and therefore my shrimp breed faster and better.


----------

