New Live Plant Tank, Pee colored water

dugward · 02-11-2008, 05:53 PM

hello,

I'm in the process of getting a very nice 30 gallon tank set up for live plants.
The water was clear first day or two and now it is a nasty yellowy color. I'm not sure if this is just from the peat moss or the grape vine I have soaking in there for my decorative wood?

I'm sure it will go away but just was wondering if anyone else has had this when starting and how long it lasted?

BMueller777 · 02-12-2008, 11:36 PM

This decorative wood you speak of... is it new wood? Perhaps Driftwood? Maybe Bogwood? If it is, it's the wood leaching off a chemical. It's not bad for the tank it just changes the color of the water, some fish actually benifit from it because it does something to the water, I just forget what.

Could also be something else you've recentally added to the tank.

How new is your tank and the stuff you're adding?

jwurm · 02-12-2008, 11:49 PM

Quote:

If it is, it's the wood leaching off a chemical.

If it is tannins (is that the right word?) leaching off the wood, boiling the wood prior to placing it in the tank should prevent that (though I'm not sure for how long).

dugward · 02-13-2008, 10:35 AM

I beleive it is that tannin or whatever you call it.
It's grapevine wood according to the fish store and they said it will clear up. I was just a little worried about it at first and actually in the last day or two it is already getting better.

Jay · 02-15-2008, 04:21 PM

IMO it was the peat that caused (is causing the discoration).

I would be wary of grape vine wood. It is not driftwood or bog wood, and has not gone thru the same process of curing. The most frequent problem is that it will sprout a noxious fungus which you will not like, it will also rot under water. The stuff is really marketed as wood for a reptile or bird display.

You can use grape vine "roots" as long as they have been out and cured by sun and rain for a year or so.

Regards,
Jay

cichlidgirl · 02-15-2008, 09:52 PM

Grapevine needs to be boiled.Boil it and it will not make the white fungus or leach any tannins (very few anyway)

Im not using grape vine now in my tanks, but i did in the past for my discus tank. I found the wood lasted a good amount of time for me ,(3 yrs or so and was still going good when i sold the tank and fish when i moved) . There are two types,sand blasted and not sandblasted. Sandblasted is the better choice. If you got the non sandblasted i think you can still use it , i would just pick off any remaining bark.

Jay is right it is made for lizards and it will make a nasty white fungus. This fungus is easily prevented by simple boiling. Boil it non stop at a low simmer for 4-6 hours. It will prevent the fungus and leach out most the tannins, similar to how a tea bag in hot water does. many driftwoods need boiling , even ones from lfs,(they often cure them but not long enough and they get the white fungus film).

If the wood is still in the tank and the color is fading i would suggest also that it was not the grapevine. Grapevine tannins are darker in color, more like a light colored ice tea and would not fade. You would have to remove it with water changes. I left the tannins in for my discus tank, they absolutly loved it. I read somewhere tannins are good for fish who need acidic environments and its very good for them and the low ph they like.

Jay · 02-16-2008, 08:57 AM

Good information...the only grapevine wood I have seen for sale is white. Boiling for six hours seems to me a bit of a hassle

I also concur that tannin, if you like the color, is net positive. Peat will do the same thing.

Another side benefit of Peat is that as it decomposes it will raise the redox level of the tank water <- fancy way of saying it will bother green algae.

Jay

cichlidgirl · 02-16-2008, 12:29 PM

yes, boiling for six hours would be hassle LOL. I did mine for3- 4 hours but have seen where other people recommend the longer boil time so included it in my response since it wont hurt and will help to waterlog the wood.

cassb · 02-18-2008, 12:53 PM

This is what I got at my local pet store:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...tid=8103&rel=1

It sinks right away and there has been no fungus in 3 weeks now. It cost me $25 for a pretty large piece (you can see it in my tank picture in another thread. I have to figure out how to put that into the gallery). It didn't turn the water brown (yet) and the water smells nice - kind of woody, like a river or clean pond.

cichlidgirl · 02-18-2008, 01:05 PM

Yes, that is malasian driftwood, it is high quality and i have some right now. 2 other high quality driftwoods are african root driftwood and mopani driftwood. both also sink fast and dont cloud the water. not sure if these woods are cured before sale at lfs or if they are different and dont need curing because of how hard and dense they are??