Driftwood

[Fishyfanatic]

I have been reading on AA about soaking driftwood to release the tannins before putting it into tanks. Yesterday I found some driftwood at the lfs and picked up 3 pieces. One of the pieces is a big dark brown piece that is pretty heavy. It looks kind of like roots the way it is shaped, but it is driftwood. I plan to soak this piece for a while before adding it to the 150.

The other two pieces are pretty small and are a light tan color. They are attached to a piece of slate. These will be going into the 29 and 10 gal. Do these pieces also need to be soaked to release the tannins or just the big dark brown one? The big one has lots of crevices and holes so I am assuming that this one DEFINATELY needs to be soaked. But the smaller ones don't. It's just like a chunk of smooth wood.

TIA!

 

[greenmaji]

it depends on your needs.. some people want the tannins... angel fish and such... all driftwood is going to have some in it.. and soaking them doesnt get rid of all of it.. if you use chemical filtration ie. carbon it will filter the tannins out.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The 150 has all african cichlids, and that's where the big piece is going. I'd prefer not to have any yellow water in the tank. So maybe add a bag of carbon just to be safe?

The smaller pieces are going with Parrots and Tetra's. not in the same tank of course. I'd prefer not to have the yellow tint at all. The 10 gal (Tetra's) have carbon in the filter. It's just a simple hob. So I take it that won't be an issue. And the 29 Eclipse of course has carbon. So then they should all be fine, without soaking the smaller pieces?

 

[greenmaji]

are you adding the bag into the tank or in the filter? I personally have never seen the yellow water because everytime ive seen driftwood in someones tank they used carbon in there filter... after a while they wont have enough tannins in them to make the water change color.. it shouldnt be a issue in the 10 or 29 gallons.. If I remember right you have canister filters on the 150, is there no carbon in those? I dont run carbon personally, I like to see whats going on as far as whats making the water not clear on the chemical level..not to mention it adds to the maintainace of the canister, a prefilter on the intake and no carbon can make them very easy to maintain...IMO

 

[An t-iasg]

The hatchery I go to has driftwood that sounds like your smaller pieces -- pale color and attached to slate. The wood they have has been bleached and kiln-dried, so if it's like yours, it probably wouldn't need to be soaked. Rinse and scrub your small pieces with a new, clean vegatable brush and it should be good to go in the tank. They shouldn't have much tannins, and carbon will take out any initial discoloration, as mentioned before. The big piece, since it's dark, will probably leach some tannins. I had a dark piece soaking for a month, and I boiled it for 3-4 hours at a time to get it to stop leaching. In the cichlid tank, where you don't want the effect of the tannins, you may have to use carbon for awhile if you want to put it in the tank soon. I would soak it for a week or so -- maybe that's all you'll need to get most of the tannins out. Be sure to check your pH after the wood has been in the tank for a day or so. Tannins can lower the pH, and you may need some crushed coral in your filter to take care of that. In a 150 gallon tank, the tannins may have little to no effect, but check to be sure.

 

[Big C]

Just to take advantage of this thread I'd like to add my own question her. Hope Fishfanatic doesnt mind.

I have been soaking a piece of drift wood for more that 3 weeks ans it is still making nice wood tea. I also boiled for several hours and today I decided to boil it some more. It's not too big -my tank is a 30 gal. But I also don't want tea in my tank. Do I have to keep soaking till the water is totally clear?

Thank you!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

About boiling- this piece is WAY to big to boil in any of my pots. The only way I would be able to do that is if I fill up the bathtub. I had planned on soaking it in a 5 gal bucket (if it would fit) or a rubbermade container for about 2 weeks. I'm really anxious to get it in the tank beacuse I just fell in love with the shape of it. But if I have to, I'll wait the 2 weeks.

Right now we don't have carbon in the 150. I replaced the canister carbon with Crushed coral and ceramic rings. But I could still put in a bag of carbon. And leave it in there for a couple months, just to be safe.

The wood that is going in the 10 and 29 gal looks kind of like this: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=20321;category_id=1669;pcid1=1695;pcid2= only mine is lighter in color. It sounds like you said An t-iasg, it looks like it was bleached and scrubbed. It is perfectly smooth and a light tan color.

What exactly is a pre-filter? I've heard of them but when I went to the lfs, they had no clue what I was talking about.

 

[Jchillin]

What exactly is a pre-filter? I've heard of them but when I went to the lfs, they had no clue what I was talking about.

Usually it is those huge hexagonal shaped bio-rings. They provide the same bio qualities but trap additional junk in the chambers.

 

[An t-iasg]

Fishyfanatic - the Driftwood Arts that you linked is the same as what my hatchery has. I would say just rinse for a minute or two, scrub with the veggie brush to get any store dirt off, and you're good to go!

Big C - I had a piece of driftwood, only about 6-8 inches long, and I soaked it for a month! I soaked it in a plastic bucket from Home Depot, in hot water. I changed the water once or twice a day. I then boiled it for 3 hours. After putting it back in the bucket to see if it was still leaching after a month (it was!) so I gave it to a very wonderful neighbor who had time to boil it and watch it, and keep adding water when needed, for about 6 hours straight one day. I then soaked it again in the bucket for another week before the water was all clear. So that piece took 5-6 weeks to get ready to go into the tank!

 

[greenmaji]

personaly I would just stick some carbon in the filter and go with the stuff.. greef 6 weeks..

 

[greenmaji]

I dont mind tea water though..LOL

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I think I'll soak it for two weeks, then stick it in the tank with some carbon in the filter. The little pieces I'll just clean real well before putting them in the tank.

Thanks everyone!

 

[zilla870]

i just boiled my wood 3 times for 15 mins and i got no tannin in my 40g

 

[jersysman]

FF, since you have Cichlids, you have to be careful of the driftwood. The driftwood will release tannins, which is a natural way to reduce ph. Something that you don't want in your fish tank. Plus, the wood will have to be waterlogged or it won't sink. That is unless you have purchased some malysian, african, or mopani driftwood, which sinks right away most of the time. Make sure that the water you keep the wood in is clear before you put it in the tank to avoid any change of a dip in your ph. You should soak in dechlornated water and change the water every other day until it is clear.

 

[Guest]

i was told the carbon in the filter would take care of the tannin's. I boiled a piece for an hour just to sterilize it and it released some tannins and i rinsed it in dechlorinated water before i put it in, but i have carbon in my filter so my water stayed crystal clear.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It is very heavy Malaysian wood. I don't think that one will have a problem sinking. Right now I am using crushed coral to increase the pH, and if it starts to dip because of the wood, I'll just add another bag of crushed coral. But since it's in a 150 gal tank, I don't think that it will cause too much, if any, of a change. If it was a 50 gal tank, then I'd be worried.

The wood is already soaking in a Rubbermaid container in dechlorinated water. I am WAY too excited. I can't wait to put it in the tank and see how it looks. I will be adding a bag of carbon, just as a precaution for a while.

 

[zilla870]

cant wait to see pics when you get this tank setup.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

We are taking some of our big africans to the lfs today. They are becoming too agressive because of mating and are becoming problems. The Johanni is about 7 1/2 inches and is terrorizing another one because the Johanni is male and the other is the only female of size. James just won't stop buying fish. AUGH! It is becoming crowded and is frustrating because I have been out of town for the past two weeks and I come home to 6 new fish. I knew about two of them because I helped pick them out. But the other 4 were total suprises.

I am going to take pics this weekend since I am borrowing my dads camera. The tank won't be complete for about 2 weeks though. I am going to soak the wood for two weeks before putting it into the tank. And when I do that, I need to re-arrange and take out some stuff. Right now it's a mess because he has been decorating. I know, that sounds bad, but he just doesn't have the perfection personality like I do.