How do I ensure a driftwood does not leach tanins and stain my water?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Size of the tank? You could always look for realistic yet fake wood ornaments, unless you are wanting it for plecos/ph buffering.

I have a medium sized piece in one of my 55's, it's been about two weeks/two water changes and there dosen't seem to be any tannins left...I only soaked it for a few hours too. I have two larger pieces from a different source in a 65g though at work, and those are still leaching tannins two months later.
 
One thing you never hear other people recommending to one another is buying wood from someone elses tank. Why not let them handle the leaching process for you? Do a WTB add here or on CL/local club etc.. ;)

There are those of us out there that appreciate natural habitat and try to replicate it (ma nature ain't "crispy").. you just have to try and find us. If you were by me I would give it to you for free, I scrap wood when it stops leaching.
 
_Jessica_;4499219; said:
Size of the tank? You could always look for realistic yet fake wood ornaments, unless you are wanting it for plecos/ph buffering.

I have a medium sized piece in one of my 55's, it's been about two weeks/two water changes and there dosen't seem to be any tannins left...I only soaked it for a few hours too. I have two larger pieces from a different source in a 65g though at work, and those are still leaching tannins two months later.
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^ I agree with this too. I just got a bunch of wood to try from www.designsbynature.net when I bought my 3D backgrounds. Have a look they're pretty cheap. LMK if you want a picture of the wood I have. I'm bummed it doesn't leach lol :(
 
whats wrong with the tan look anyway, from my understanding, it helps the fish in some way as well.
I just chucked mine in and knew it would disappear with water chances in time.
But as for the question, soaking weeks before hand. bummer.
 
Personally, I'd never take anyone's driftwood and just drop it into my tank, or even a piece I found outdoors. You never know what kind of bacteria or parasites you'll transfer. Besides soaking, I always bake it to sterilize it as best I can. I'd be afraid of taking someone's driftwood (and not sterilizing) not knowing they shut their tank down because everything died from something in the tank and very possibly on that driftwood. It's not the tannins I'd be worried about, although I would personally leach them out for clearer looking water.
 
1. Put wood in gallon zip-loc bag.
2. Squeeze air out of bag and seal.
3. Place in aquarium.
4. Enjoy!
 
I have 2 big, heavy pieces of super-hard mopani wood in one of my tanks. When I got them, soaked them for two weeks in a Rubbermaid container and ran hot water over nearly daily. The water would look like coffee as it ran out of the container. Fast forward 2 years and the wood is still leaching tannins.

I actually like the way the water looks, and I swear the fish appear richer in color when the water is darker. But to answer your question.... you might never get all the tannins out of the wood.

 
go with manzanita. not many people have as much as I do. soaked it for about a month so it would sink. tannins were gone in a few weeks which was a bummer as I WANTED the stained water look. most of my pieces are 30" or more so boiling was'nt an option. just put them in a 30 gal. plastic drum and changed the water every few days. other kinds of wood could leach tannins for months.
 
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