Can I put my driftwood in my tank?

[SushiRoll]

I got a piece of driftwood (pretty sure the tag said mopani) last night and I soaked it over night and now I'm wondering when I can put it in. Here's a pic of the water color.

So how many more days should I soak it? Should the water be clear? I got a clown pleco last night too and have read that they need the drift wood for digestion?



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[scrippin]

Most pieces of driftwood purchased from a store will release tannins into the water anywhere from a couple weeks to a few months. Tannins are what is turning the water brown, giving it a dirty appearance.

I would suggest purchasing Purigen. Depending on how your tank is set up, you can put the packet anywhere in the filtration system, as long as the water is running through it, and it will filter the tannins out of your water. One packet should last you about a month. You will notice the white beads change to a darker brown in a couple days.


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[SushiRoll]

Thanks for answering. I boiled the wood and the water was really dark. I'm going to let it soak overnight again and hopefully it won't tint the water too much.

 

[scrippin]

I'm not entirely sure about weakening the wood but I wouldn't imagine it helping it in anyway.

I'm curious as to why you're boiling the wood if you don't mind me asking?


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[SushiRoll]

I've read it takes the tannins out faster and from what I saw it did. The water was 10x darker than when i soaked it for 24 hours.

 

[scrippin]

Your driftwood is most likely going to leech tannins for some considerable amount of time, from my personal experience.

I have a piece of Malaysian driftwood in my tank that is about 2 1/2' long and 1' tall. It was soaked and boiled for 3 days before I rubber banded a sizable rock to it and put it in the aquarium. About 2 months later and it's still leeching enough tannins to turn a Purigen packet the color of coffee.

It's all about preference though, some people prefer the murky look tannins provide. It's not harmful to your fish either, and I've read that some fish even prefer water with tannins.


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[SushiRoll]

I soaked the wood over night again and the water was clear, so I put it in my tank. My pleco is already under it ?




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