How long does it take for color to leak out of driftwood?

[exactionfigure]

How long does it usually take for color to leak out of driftwood ?
I have had my tank set up for 3 days now and so far so good, but I didn't know how long it would take before it would make my tank brown if it was going to
just so I can know if im in the clear or not.
-Matt

 

[kaz]

I never used driftwood but I dont think it will did you soak it rinse it down first?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Some driftwoods will leak tannins for what seems like forever no matter how much it is soaked or boiled. Other won't do it at all. If you haven't noticed tannins in the water over the course of a week, then I doubt you will have any at all. What kind of driftwood do you have?

 

[exactionfigure]

It's ghostwood from blackjungle.com it's made for dartfrog tanks

I did not boil it because it's pretreated because dartfrogs are so sensitive so I figured it would be ok to just put in the tank that was before I knew about all the possible problems that could come with it

I haven't had any issues so far really, but I'm just a little nervous about dealing with the water changing color.

The tank looks fine right now, it's a little cloudy because there is an ammonia spike but I think that's normal because I just started the tank 4 days ago and it's in the process of cycling.

When I look through the tank on the side I so notice that the water looks slightly yellowish but I can't quite tell

I am not sure if I should be worried about this.

-Matt

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If the water does start to become stained, replace the AC in the filter. But don't do this until after the tank has cycled. Even after it has cycled, wait a month or so before doing it.

 

[DeFeKt]

here is an article you may find useful,

http://perth-cichlid-forums.ipbhost.com/The-Use-Of-Wood-In-Aquariums-t201.html

has reasons for tannins leaching and how to cure/remove them.

HTH

Matt.

 

[youronlysin]

I wouldnt be overly concerned about the tannins as they shouldnt do any harm to things, other than look ugly. I do wonder what the wood was treated with...you said it was pre-treated. Does this mean chemically?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

If after 3 days your tank is not brown, then there is either very minimal or no leeching. And if you said it was treated, could be another reason it's not leeching. My driftwood leeched from day 1, for about 5 weeks, then tapered off.

 

[gohabs9]

mine took about 1 month to completly stop.....but if after 3 days your water is clear then it seems you have no colours leetching out of your wood...lucky

 

[Blazeherd2306]

you said it was pre-treated. Does this mean chemically?

That's what I'm thinking. Are you sure it is safe for aquariums? It could be treated with chemicals that are toxic to fish.

 

[exactionfigure]

I don't mean treated I mean cleaned, it was baked and washed and all that stuff so that it wouldn't have to bacteria or anything harmful to poison dart frogs, since it's safe for them it would be safe for fish for sure, frogs are much more sensitive.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Pre-treated basically means that they clean it, bleach it, clean it again, then bake it. Alot of woods come like that from the lfs.

 

[Legacy]

I'm using a huge piece and 2 small pieces of Malaysian Driftwood in my mangrove swamp tank. I didn't soak or boil the wood on purpose in hopes of getting tannins and giving a more natural feel. It worked!... but it's been like 3 months now and I still have pretty heavy tannins. My archerfish look brown and the water looks like iced tea. You'll find that after every water change it will clear up quite a bit. I do a 50% PWC every week and it keeps the tannin under control.

Honestly, I expect to have a lot of tannin in the water for at least a year, maybe two. But then again my stump is about 14" tall with a width of about 10-12" so you can imagine that I've barely scratched the surface.