Driftwood

[NatureGirl]

I recently bought a Mopani driftwood, and I've been boiling it to release some of the tannins before I put it in my tank.

The only problem is I've been using unconditioned tap water, and I read somewhere that you should only boil it with conditioned water or RO (reverse osmosis) water. Right now I have it soaking in cool water and conditioner, and I was wondering if that's enough to get rid of all the chlorine and chloramine inside the wood. Also, how long should it stay in the treated water before it's tank-safe? The last thing I want to do is put it in my aquarium only for it to start leaching chlorine and kill all my fish and shrimps!

 

[BBradbury]

I recently bought a Mopani driftwood, and I've been boiling it to release some of the tannins before I put it in my tank.

The only problem is I've been using unconditioned tap water, and I read somewhere that you should only boil it with conditioned water or RO (reverse osmosis) water. Right now I have it soaking in cool water and conditioner, and I was wondering if that's enough to get rid of all the chlorine and chloramine inside the wood. Also, how long should it stay in the treated water before it's tank-safe? The last thing I want to do is put it in my aquarium only for it to start leaching chlorine and kill all my fish and shrimps!

Hello Nat G...

Boiling the piece will soften the fibers and it will fall apart in the tank water faster. Next time, rinse the piece and leave it out in the sun for a day or two to dry. That's it. Tannic acid leached into the water will make the water a little more acidic and turn it a slightly amber color. It won't hurt anything in the tank. Just change most of the water weekly and the tannins will be gone in time. Don't worry about the boiled piece leaching something toxic from the tap water. If there is anything toxic in the piece, which is doubtful, it will be diluted to a safe level in all the tank water.

B

 

[dcutl002]

I have never had a problem with driftwood tannins. It does not hurt the fish and I actually kinda like the color. Water changes will "soften" the brown color for you.

 

[TMaier]

I like my water clear. Not a big tannin fan. Just let it soak for a day in Prime treated water. I usually soak and change the water several times until the leaching stops.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Tannins will drown out light if you have plants, so if you are going with a planted tank, just soak the piece for a while. I've always soaked my pieces in tap water for multiple days, or weeks, to get rid of tannins and have the wood pieces sink. Use hot water. For the last soak, just put some dechlorinator in the water if it is a worry. If the tank water gets a strong color to it, use activated carbon in your filter for a few days--it'll clear out the tannins quickly. Tannins are beneficial, but are not very aesthetic.

 

[dcutl002]

Yeah, I understand where you guys are coming from, but I like keeping Tetras so it kinda works out for me. Neons really the like "darkness" of the water and hiding in the plants. After a while the wood puts out less and less tannins.

 

[Fresh2o]

OP - I would be very surprised if the DW boiled in untreated tap water leached chlorine into the tank.
I have some 2-3 year old Malaysian DW that is still leaching tannins!

 

[NatureGirl]

Wow, thanks for the replies everybody! I decided to go ahead and put the driftwood in my aquarium. The fish are now extremely happy even though I completely rearranged my aquarium (a several hour process), which they didn't seem to like very much. Lol. There have been no ill effects from the driftwood, and my fish and shrimp love it!