driftwood is turning tank water brown...

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
A

alibaloochi

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 25, 2008
52
0
6
houston
my driftwood that i rinsed for 15 min before putting in the tank, is making the tank brown. the water looks like light tea. i checked the peramaters and all is good. and the fish dont seem to mind, just acting same as usual.


ive done one or two water changes and its like the driftwood is just dirtying up the tank more and more.

anyone else had this problem?


i know the logical thing to do would be to just take it out, but i need it in there till i get another, its the only hide spot in the tank
 
Sounds like your driftwood hasnt dried out yet. Did you find the wood yourself? How old is it?
 
boil it, and then soak it in a bucket. keep changing the water when it is brown. It may float for day before it starts to sink.
 
Depending on how big it is, you can boil it in a pot. One of mine was able to fit in a big pot so you cover it with water and some salt and boil for 45 mins. Empty water and continue to boil it in water and emptying it until the yellow color is really light. This should help when you put it in the tank. When I had a piece that was too big for a pot, I put it in my large cooler and poured salt and boiling water in it. Let it sit for 1hour and empty. Continue doing this until the color is almost gone from the water. Hope this helps, The Doctor.
 
The driftwood is leaking tannins into your water. Like everyone else said you can boil it or just let it soak (changing water daily). You could just add carbon to your filter and it will remove most of it (the brown in the water), just know that your water will be brown for a while though. Personally I didn't care that my water was brown, the only thing to be careful of though is that the tannins can decrease your pH if you have soft water.
 
It's called Tannins, many pieces will do it for months or years.

Best solution without a doubt, Seachem Purigen. This product is nothing short of brilliant, I will never own another tank that doesn't have Purigen running inside it's filter.
 
Some fish may prefer the effects of the tannins. The effects are similar to filtering with peat moss. I have several pieces of driftwood in my tank and have tea colored water, but I have rummy nose tetras and they seem to like it.
 
Driftwood will soften the hardness and lower the pH. Not by any substantial amount, but your south american fish will like you for adding the wood in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom