Tannins from wood chips in soil

[myselfandme2]

I need help. I don’t have wood in my tank but I did use topsoil which had a couple of wood chips in it. I tried my best to get them all out when I got it but some still got into the aquarium. It has been releasing tannins into the water. I have been doing 75% water changes and it is kind of going away but it seems that it will take a while to get rid of the tannins. What else besides water changes can I do to fix this? Also could I add fish even with tannins in the water?

 

[Delapool]

You could run carbon to clear it as well. How bad is it for water clarity?

 

[myselfandme2]

I am currently using carbon also. I can barely see to the other end of the tank from the side and the tank is 30 inches long.

 

[Delapool]

Erk, that is bad.

Seachem clarity could be worth looking into. I’ve not used it for tannins though. I’ve found it useful for pea-soup re-scapes from redoing the substrate but that would be more fine clay particles (not as fine as tannins I assume.

 

[Fresh2o]

You could try using Purigen. It worked well for clearing tannins from driftwood in my shrimp tank.

 

[myselfandme2]

Ok. Is Purigen harmful to plants?

 

[V227]

My. Sounds like your problem might not be tannin, but instead suspended dirt particles. A couple of wood chips shouldn't stain the water as you describe. I would be suspicious about the ingredients used in the top soil . If you used a basic potting soil product, not specifically designed for aquarium use, it's going to be messy, and get stirred up every WC. Might add a thin layer of fine gravel or sand on top. Eventually the particles will dilute and settle and your water will clear up.
Chances are your water is not toxic, but start out with a few inexpensive fish. Good luck.

 

[Fresh2o]

^^^^ Good point. I assumed the soil was capped with sand or fine gravel. I never did a dirted tank because of the mess associated with rescaping.
Purigen is fine with plants. In fact, it is often preferred over carbon as the latter may supposedly remove nutrients necessary for plant growth.