aboatman

My BF bought me a big piece of driftwood, well, he bought it for the fish, and we soaked it for about a week, outside in a bucket, changing the water 1-3 times a day to help get it so it wouldn't tint the water...but it did...So I removed it, started the soaking thing again...hoping it will work this time. Other than a partial water change, and letting the driftwood steep, anything else I should do to get rid of my brown water?

A

andy53

I don't you can do much, except keep doing water changes. Eventually you'll have clear water again. As a side note, atleast the tannin won't hurt you water or fish, just makes it brown. It may also take a while for all the tannin to leach out of driftwood. All you can do is keep soaking it in a bucket and changing that water.

__________________
3 Gallon
Pico Reef

29 Gallon
Planted

Andyoybna

Basically, you have... maybe three options.

One would be exactly what you are doing, trying to let the tannins leach out naturally over a period of time, but this can take years with larger pieces depending on the type of wood.

Another option would be to stick it in the tank, and use carbon to absorb the tannins, however the carbon will be used up pretty quickly depending on how large the piece is, and how much it is leaching.

To get rid of the tannins, you can boil the wood in a large pot, drain, repeat until the water stays clear, although this can change the appearance/coloration of the wood.

And I guess #4, just enjoy the tannins, and go with a blackwater effect, it softens the water, lowers ph, makes fish more comfortable, and IMO, it looks good, although, it does depend on the type of fish you keep as well.

__________________