# Driftwood and Tannin question



## toshko321 (Apr 10, 2014)

Hi guys, I just bought a piece of driftwood (it fits in my 4.5 gallon bucket diagonally if that makes it easier to picture) and I am currently soaking it with dechlorinated water. I am wondering how long I should keep it in there because I don't want to put it in the tank and then have my water become yellow. Any way to prevent this? Or when I put it in can I put something in the water to keep the tannin out? Any advice is appreciated!


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Soaking it like that is going to take forever to get the tannins out. It helps but you need to change the water multiple times a day and it's still going to take a long time the best way to speed it up is to apply heat. If you can put it in a pot and bring the water to near boil it will help the tannins to seep faster. But it is almost impossible to get them all out before it goes in the tank.


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## toshko321 (Apr 10, 2014)

hotwingz said:


> Soaking it like that is going to take forever to get the tannins out. It helps but you need to change the water multiple times a day and it's still going to take a long time the best way to speed it up is to apply heat. If you can put it in a pot and bring the water to near boil it will help the tannins to seep faster. But it is almost impossible to get them all out before it goes in the tank.


I actually read about the boiling right after I posted this question haha. I have a big pot that can only fit half the driftwood. So far it has been boiling for an hour. I will be changing out the water and then flipping it around and boiling the other half of it. I hope that removes as much as possible. But I guess tannin can actually make a tank look a little more natural by adding color to it...


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

prepare to boil it for several hours, changing water often.

and don't be surprised if you still get a little discoloration in the tank afterwards, depending on the type of wood


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

I'll get my drift wood from a stream in the mountains, fed from a bog. The water is tea brown.
The wood is black and soaked. It does not float. At home I cook it. Then there is little yellow tint of the water. But that does not harm the fish and the plants. It loses itself gradually with the regular water changes. A loss of lighting I have not found. In 60 liters of 10 finger-length pieces of road no more.


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

You'll never get rid of 100% of the leaching.....
All you can do is minimize it. 

Boiling is the best method but some discoloration will still be evident in the tank and can be helped with the addition of carbon or Purigen. 

Note: UV sterilizers will be rendered almost useless if you have water discolored by tannins leaching.
I like natural driftwood but won't use it for this very reason.


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

Depends on the wood itself

I have many pieces that no longer leach anything, and provided I don't let them ever fully dry out, that is how they stay. If I let them dry out they leach for a week or so while they re-soak.


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Ya the driftwood I have now doesn't leach at all. It did for a good while, but not now for a long time. And not letting it dry out is a key.


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

Each has their own opinion......but I disagree with the theory that driftwood no longer leaches after a period of time. 

I don't believe driftwood of any kind ever stops leaching.......it may slow down significantly but it never totally stops. Water changes and chemical filtration make it look like it's not leaching but I bet it is. 

Almost all wood continues to leach/decay/rot slowly in water........some types of wood are just a lot slower than others.


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## nh murph (Mar 21, 2014)

I boiled for several hours and it still changed my tank water a bit. It didn't take too long for the tank to clear up though. I didn't get too concerned, as I had already read that it would likely happen. It won't hurt anything, it'll just look like tea for a little while.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I love tannins! What typ of fish do you have in the tank? Many love the effects as well.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

If it is bog pine wood, then it can not rot. It is biologically dead, a precursor of coal.
But it must always remain in the water.


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## joecrouse (Feb 3, 2014)

Swamp Cyprus and Redwood.. Wont EVER rot in your lifetime. (or your kids and thier grand kids) as long as its kept underwater.


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