Can somebody help me!!!!!!

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FishManSinceFive

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
61
I have a 55gallon tank setup this lake wood is making my water red!!!! What do i do? I want the lake wood and clear water!!!! My fish are still alive but i need help!!!!
 
Did you prep the wood before you put it in or just stick it straight in?

Sounds like tannins, remove the wood and soak it for a few weeks in a bucket changing water daily until the water you throw away is clear. Do lots of small water changes on your tank to get it back clear and don't put the wood back in until it been soaked for long enough.
 
Your fish should be ok, tannins won't normally hurt fish, however you say it's red? Is it not more of a reddish brown tea colour?
 
I have tannins in my tanks. Most fish love them. My community fish thrive with tannins.

You can only remove the tannins by doing frequent water changes but, even then, the tannins will take a long time to leach out of the wood completely.
 
Well definitely try removing it, if you want clear water, I Diddnt know better once a put a lump in which turned my water deep brown, took three-four months with big weekly water changes for it to become clear again. I left the wood in, so assuming you remove it and soak it in a bucket your water should be clear in a few water changes.
 
Tannins in Tank water

Hello Fish...

If you'll start an aggressive water change schedule your tank will clear pretty quickly.

You really should be replacing a minimum of half the water in your tank weekly, tannins or no.

Actually, tannins in the water can create problems for a planted tank by changing the light intensity, but if you don't keep demanding plants, then just start the water change routine in the next few days.

I keep, large, planted tanks and change a minimum of half the tank volume every week. This guarantees a stable, toxin free environment for fish and plants.

B
 
Soak it in a bucket of hot water for a couple of weeks. A lot of tannin will come out at first. Then you can put it back in your tank and remove it with PWC. You can put it through the dishwasher (no soap!!) and that will help. Or boil it in a pot on the stove.
 
FishManSinceFive said:
This piece is long it reaches both ends of the tank

Just keep doing PWC. It will eventually get better. Even my tanks that have had wood in them for 6months plus still get a slight tea color after a week without a PWC. I don't even notice anymore until I do the PWC and it's clear.
 
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