Drift wood problems

[BiggC442]

I have a big piece of drift wood it i have had for a while. Well i did not have it in the tank for about a year... I guess it would be ok if i water logged it but now it's turning my water a tan color. Can i save it or just toss it away? I will post pictures later. Anyone have drift wood in there tanks? It been a while since i have had a tank up and running. Any advice would be great.

 

[rich311k]

The brown color is tannins it wont hurt anything. I have read carbon can help remove them. It will also lower your ph a bit.

 

[Zagz]

I'd keep it and either take it out and soak it in a pail for a while or do regular pwc's to remove the tannins.

 

[Meredith]

You could also try boiling the wood.

 

[azn_fishy55]

Yup,put it in an empty bucket somewhere.Fill the bucket with boiling or hot water and leave it alone for a few days,then check again.If the water is all brown,replace the water and do the process all over again.But if you like how the color of the water looks,don't do it.

 

[chrism]

I've got a piece of drift wood, well more of a log actually, nearly 2ft long, it's been in my tank for ages still turning the water that light brown colour, carbon in your filter does work, and so do pwc... like it's been said, wont hurt anything and i have read that it is believed to actually be benificial to certian fish, not sure which ones but i'd take a guess at south american river fish...

 

[BiggC442]

Thanks I will put it in a bucket with the hot water and see what that does.... It did not do this when I frist got it but that was 8-10 years ago..and it has not been in water for about 5. Do you think that would have anything to do with it? I don't remember having this much trouble when I frist started... must be age

 

[Lonewolfblue]

The light brown tannins won't hurt anything. In fact, it will help keep the ph lower, and will keep it steady as well, which is good. I have some driftwood in my tank and will put it in all my new tanks when I start them up.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

My tap water is 8.2 ph and my tank is 7-7.1 without adding chemicals. The driftwood is keeping my ph steady at 7-7.1. And I don't need to lower the tap water before adding to the tank, just dechlorinator such as Prime. That's it.

 

[QTOFFER]

Keep the driftwood - it sounds like it's aging nicely in your tank.
Some fish like tetras actually prefer tannin-rich water. In fact, they sell tannin extracts that you can add to the water to induce spawning in some species.

But, if tea colored water is not your cup of tea , activated carbon will help remove it.

 

[Legacy]

I'd keep it and either take it out and soak it in a pail for a while or do regular pwc's to remove the tannins.

PWC knocked out my tannin in 1 week. I wish it hadn't.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Don't worry, the tannins leech out, it will come back. I just use a little carbon in my filter to help remove some of it, but I do like having some in the tank as well.