Healthy Fish, but Dark Water

[mxg5299]

My 60 gallon is about 3 months old now, and as time has gone by, I've notice the tank getting darker overall. The lighting isn't that great anyways, but it's now noticably darker. Taking a sample of the water, it is a slightly brown-red, which I can confirm was from my Malaysian driftwood. The driftwood sat in hot water for a week but leftover tannins are still leeching out a little bit, making the water not murky (it's clear) but just dark. The fish are healthy, but any way I can create clearer water without a massive water change or is that the solution?

 

[Caliban07]

My 60 gallon is about 3 months old now, and as time has gone by, I've notice the tank getting darker overall. The lighting isn't that great anyways, but it's now noticably darker. Taking a sample of the water, it is a slightly brown-red, which I can confirm was from my Malaysian driftwood. The driftwood sat in hot water for a week but leftover tannins are still leeching out a little bit, making the water not murky (it's clear) but just dark. The fish are healthy, but any way I can create clearer water without a massive water change or is that the solution?

Try activated carbon in your filter if you don't want to keep changing water. The carbon supposedly lasts for around 4 weeks.


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[ScotJudd]

Seachem Purigen will remove the tannins in 24 hours and you will be amazed. It's not the cheapest option, but by far the most effective.


Sent from my iPad in West Yorkshire, U.K.

 

[Laeris]

Seachem Purigen will remove the tannins in 24 hours and you will be amazed. It's not the cheapest option, but by far the most effective.


Sent from my iPad in West Yorkshire, U.K.

So much this! If calculated over the years, Purigen wins so hard on all levels. Even doing a partial substrate addition, the water was clear in half an hour, not a few hours. Ok, full disclosure, flow has a bit to do with it. It can be cleaned and used again many times, unlike carbon. I keep both, but Purigen is my go-to.

 

[Potluck]

Don't need any meds/chemicals to remove tannins a lot of people like tannins (harmless to fish) because it gives the tank a more natural look, just put activated carbon in the filter, i used to use bio Chem sorb its about 12.00 for a bag can find it at most lfs including petsmart, but recently switched to chemi-pure which is 16 a bag and a bit harder to find

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[Mebbid]

Seachem purigen is about the best option for tannin removal. It lasts a long time and can be recharged 3 or 4 times before having to replace it while the good activated carbon will only last a month at most.

 

[Potluck]

I had tannins from not boiling my drift wood, took it out boiled it rinsed it, put in back in the tank 1 bag of bio Chem sorb took alp tnnins from the tank, + activated carbon wouldn't hurt the tank anyways my tank is crystal clear with a HOB filter, on a 55 gallon

 

[mxg5299]

Thanks for all the advise, sounds like either activated carbon in the filter or various chemicals. I'll see what my local stores have. Is the activated carbon a bag of something that you pour into the area of the filter cartridge? It is a Penguin BioWheel 350.

 

[Mebbid]

Thanks for all the advise, sounds like either activated carbon in the filter or various chemicals. I'll see what my local stores have. Is the activated carbon a bag of something that you pour into the area of the filter cartridge? It is a Penguin BioWheel 350.

Purigen isn't a chemical. Instead, it's an ion exchange resin. It's a fancy way of saying it's a plastic like bead that sucks up biological byproducts like tannins. It's more expensive to start but it's cheaper than carbon in the long run and 100% safe.