micaiah12
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2011
- Messages
- 336
So I got some Malaysian driftwood from Zilla I got it via Amazon. So I would like to know how to get it into my tank without tannis and other bad stuff.
So I got some Malaysian driftwood from Zilla I got it via Amazon. So I would like to know how to get it into my tank without tannis and other bad stuff.
adammorrill gave a good answer. Boil it, soak it, or put it in the dishwasher. Also, about the dishwasher: some newer dishwashers automatically put rinsing agents into the water. Make sure your dishwasher has no rinse agents in it before putting it in.
Actually, I am in the process of boiling some Mopani wood myself. I didn't have a pot big enough, so I boil half of it at a time, with the other half sticking out of the pot. Altogether I have been boiling that wood for about 15 hours (turning around the wood and changing the water every hour), and there are still tons of tannins. Then, when I go to bed, I put it in a bucket full of water and let it soak overnight. I believe I am going to boil it until little to no tannins are leeched out when soaked.
I'm convinced Mopani is just one big tannin. I never boiled mine when I first started, but judging by how brown and for how long the 75gallons in my tank got ... It probably would've needed a day of boiling over and over.
hpiguy said:I use one of those 20 gallon Rubbermaid storage tubs they sell at Home Depot for $5.
Drop the wood in, put something on it to sink it, replace the cover and aside from changing the water daily ignore it on the deck for a while in the summer. After changing the water every day for around two weeks it seems to be sufficient to leach out enough color to allow me to stick it in a tank.
I use a black container and on the South facing deck it gets warm enough, over 100F. Not boiling or even close, but I think it helps more than cold water.
Never tired the dishwasher method. Maybe I will next time and see if it speeds up the process. I have a Foster Smith order coming with some wood in it, might be the time to test both methods side by side and see what happens.