boiled or soaked

[almcloud]

Got some nice tanzanita drift wood and was wondering which method to go for, boiling or soaking, to get it prepared for my first planted tank (10 GAL)

 

[okapizebra]

You could soak it for a while to get some tannins out. Days, weeks, however long you're willing to wait. Then when you're ready, boil it, let it cool, and stick it in the tank.

 

[tropicalmackdaddy]

Id boil it. Mine released the tannis out very fast, and i only had to boil it for a couple of hours.
(i heard somewhere that the hotter it is the faster and more tannis it released. Dunno if thts true)

 

[jcolon]

Got some nice tanzanita drift wood and was wondering which method to go for, boiling or soaking, to get it prepared for my first planted tank (10 GAL)

First, check to make sure it sinks.... If so, just boil it over and over for about an hour. That'll rid a bunch of the tannins, though some will stay.

 

[ejaramillo01]

I would say both... Boiled and soaked!

 

[ashleynicole]

I boil mine just to sterilize it, however I don't mind the tannins since I do a 30%-50% water change every week anyway. My mopani and malaysian wood stopped leaching tannins after a month or so. But the fish like it so it's no big deal.

 

[almcloud]

Thanks a lot for quick suggestions, will boil and soak

 

[Duddits]

There are many methods to preparing dw for your tank. I recently added 2 pieces and I'm in the process of adding another that I harvest from our local shores here in Florida. I normally soak it in a deep sink or trash can with a powerhead changing the water every day for about 2 weeks and scrub it each time. You can then either boil it or run it through the dish washer with no soap. The hot pressured water acts as a scrubber for the dw. You can then soak it over night and then add it to the tank. It may not sink right away so use some fishing line and some rocks to hold it down. It will release tannins over time but no harm to the fish or water parameters, just a light tea color water which will eventually go away.