Any way of removing tannin from water??

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Mrfoo_uk

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
3
Location
Portsmouth, UK
Hi everyone

I've started a new tank for my puffers, but i've got a problem with the water, I've put a nice big lump of Bogwood in the tank, now i've got some nasty looking yellow water.
I know that you can boil the wood to remove the tannins but its about 20 inches long and i don't have a pot that big!
Will the tannins slowly leave the water over time or am i stuck with it??

Thanks for reading :D

Paul
 
Buy a bigger pot?^^; lol I don't know much about having wood in the tank but it sounds like you might be stuck with it...until all the tannins leak out maybe?
 
Wood, you are meant to soak it for a long time in hot water so the tannings are released before you put it in your tank. However alot of fish such as discus like tanned water.
Any way I think eventually the tanning will stop leaking from the bogwood. (Over time though). The only thing i can suggest is removing it and soaking etc .... or just do alot of water chnages.

What puffer's do you have ?
 
I've got a couple of green spotted puffers (bruce and fred) Do you know if carbon would help clear it? seem to remember reading somewhere that a carbon filter would help, I've already got a carbon filter in my Juwel filter, what if i were to stick one in my Fluval filter?? Or i suppose i could take the wood out, chop it in half then boil it :( But then i'd still be stuck with the yellow water :cry:
 
boiling still doesn't release all the tannins
only time and patience will fix this.
and alot of water changes.
 
Fresh carbon and water changes will get rid of the brown / yellow coloured water. But it will eat up the carbon fast.
 
Will the tannins slowly leave the water over time or am i stuck with it??

Since tannins are a natural product and doesn't harm the fish in anyway, it's really no big deal. As the others have mentioned you can remove large portions of it over time. There will always be a trace amount for quite a while, but it won't be as noticeable as it is now.
 
yes, carbon will remove the tannins !!!

you should also perform LARGER water changes during your weekly maintenance
 
I had a large piece of driftwoood and after a month of doing almost 100% water changes every 3 days it still wasn't backing down.. and the AC only absorb a small amount, i had ORANGE water. So i finally took it out and gave it to my aunt for her outdoor pond. But you can get a huge tub from walmart and soak it in it outside in water and change the water that way, then your tank won't turn colors.

BTW.. it took me another couple of weeks to get my water clear again after removing the driftwood and several very large water changes.
 
wow, I just boiled mine twice, for about 20 minutes each time. Water looked like tea after each boil. Put it in clean water and let it soak overnight. Next morning water was clear, so in the tank it went. No problems at all.
 
gfink said:
wow, I just boiled mine twice, for about 20 minutes each time. Water looked like tea after each boil. Put it in clean water and let it soak overnight. Next morning water was clear, so in the tank it went. No problems at all.

it all depends on what type of wood you have... i have a piece in there now that didn't cause me any discoloratin at all. But that one large piece i had was just very rich in tannic acid. I was just letting him know that some pieces of wood never really completely stop leeching the tannins so he may be in for a lot of frustrating work... I should've soaked the piece i had before putting it in my tank to see what happend, but i didn't and i had to pay the consequences.
 
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