Tannins leaching

[HorrorShowRot]

Allright I have a pretty nice chunk of driftwood how long should it soak and change the water before most of the tannins are out I really do not want my tank to go brown.... Currently has been soaking for a day. Will do it for about a week..:)

[rich311k]

It could be several weeks or more. Be sure to change the water every couple of days. A boil can help speed the process along.

[Scrup]

how big is it? Boiling helps speed up the process quite a bit.

I would do a week at minimum of soaking, changing the water daily, but it can take up to 6 months/a year for the tannins to stop leaking (dont need to change the water daily if you are soaking that long..once a month should suffice), or you can just boil it for 4-5 hours (it does get a little smelly), changing the water every hour or so.

if it is small enough another good option is to stick it in the tank of your toilet. TANK not the BOWL!
-hands off water changes.

Test the PH of the water before and after soaking to see if it is still leaking.

If you REALLY can't wait, make sure it is scrubbed/cleaned real good, attach it to a rock, then add charcoal to your filter and it will keep the water clear. once the water starts turning yellow again (it turns yellowish usually at first, brown=LOTS of tannic acid) replace the charcoal. you may have to keep this up for up to a year just FYI.

My small pieces I boiled and do not have any problems with them, the larger ones will give the water a slight yellow tint after about 3 weeks.

You want to soak it for 3 reasons really...
1- it gets the yellow/brown tannic acid out
2- it makes it sink after long enough (it will lose that REALLY fast when taken out of water though 15-20 min and it could be floating again)
3-helps kill anything that may be living inside of it..almost like a QT for wood.

both 1 and 2 can be dealt with, the third..well...its your tank.

[Sarkazmo]

You might actually like the black water look

Sark

[tybizzel]

I little yellow water with my plants look pretty good. I think Anyways

[robflanker]

Took me 2-3 weeks with water changes every two to three days for mine to be clear of most of the tannins.

Lot will depend on the wood and how often you do WC

[mac]

At time in IME tannin can take years to leach out, with lots of water changes and charcoal.

It all depends on the wood as to how long it will take.

mac

[HorrorShowRot]

Awesome thanks everyone will definatly try it in the tank in a week.:)

[xximanoobxx]

tannins are actually beneficial to fish. If you don't like it, then I would recommend tossing in a media bag of Purigen in your filter when you put your DW in the tank. It helps take out the tannins.

[Scrup]

tannins are actually beneficial to fish. If you don't like it, then I would recommend tossing in a media bag of Purigen in your filter when you put your DW in the tank. It helps take out the tannins.

they can be...

if your fish like a high PH, then..well tannic acid is NOT a good thing...

[domjd05]

Boil it. For hours. Some pieces you won't notice and leeching, others it seems will never stop. Keep boiling, this will also help saturate wood to help it sink.

I never liked the leeched tannins look in my tank... depends on what color background/substrate you have..