Boiling Driftwood

[salman]

I purchased some driftwood yesterday, and i started boiling it a few hours ago. I boiled it and left it boiling for 10 minutes, and then i left it in the kitchen to cool down. That was 4 hours ago. I just checked the water, and it was BROWN! How many times do i have to boil it until the water stays clear?

[sergo]

basically you bowl it until the water quits turning brow or you just get tired of bowling it. irregardless it will still turn you tank water brown for while but just not as bad.

[salman]

I'm going to keep boiling it until it turns crystal clear. I want this tank to be perfect.

[MeganL3985]

I'm going to keep boiling it until it turns crystal clear. I want this tank to be perfect.

Thats probably what I would do. I boiled the crap out of my coconut.

[salman]

Thats probably what I would do. I boiled the crap out of my coconut.

I love that coconut!! It was the best one i've seen.. I bet ur betta always stays in there lol

[hungryhound]

I wish you luck on trying to get the water to run clear. I must warn you though that you could be in for a very long night. When I boiled my driftwood I boiled it for close to 4 hours. The water was still a little tea brown on the last batch, but it wasn't too bad. Since adding it to my tank I have not notice any tannins in the water. You may not have to boil until crystal clear to avoid having brown tank water. At some point the rate at which the tannins are leaching will be less than the threshold they need to be in order for you to notice a color difference.

[salman]

The first time i bought my driftwood, which was like a year ago, the fish store told me to wash it like how you would wash an ornament or gravel. I did that and the tank started getting browner everyday!

[MeganL3985]

I'm glad I know that now, if I decide to put driftwood in a tank of mine.

My coconut water turned almost clear after about 2 hours of boiling and switching out water.

btw, thanks for the compliments on the coconut :) and yep, puffin stays in there a lot :)

[Zerileous]

When I have prepared driftwood for my tanks i have done the following:

Soak in dechlor water for a week with water changes followed by 3-4hrs in boiling water, no water changes. So it stays at boiling temperature for the whole time. I have had no issues with tanins using this method. You do have to keep topping the water off though.

[salman]

I'm glad I know that now, if I decide to put driftwood in a tank of mine.

My coconut water turned almost clear after about 2 hours of boiling and switching out water.

btw, thanks for the compliments on the coconut :) and yep, puffin stays in there a lot :)

How big is the tank that you have puffin in? I'm thinking of adding a betta to my 14 gallon which i have water turtles in

[sergo]

my clown plecos cleaned my coconut of the ouside skin in like 3 months. it was one nasty looking coconut.
driftwood will leach tannins in your water for a while even if you bowl the hell out of it. just stay on top of your water changes and you'll be ok.

[SkarloeysMom]

I've never boiled my driftwood but I did soak it in a 5g bucket of water in the hot Texas sun, changing the water everyday for probably 2 weeks or more. I still have "black water" tanks. There's no mistaking when its time to do a PWC. The water gets to looking like tea and you know its time. Once you do a water change it looks lighter again. I kinda like the look though.

[RobbieG]

All the driftwood I have ever been able to find has been presoaked - we must just be lucky up here:ezpi_wink1:

[MeganL3985]

How big is the tank that you have puffin in? I'm thinking of adding a betta to my 14 gallon which i have water turtles in


Its just a 2.5 gal, but he seems to have plenty of room in there for himself. He swims all over the place and has the coconut and plants to swim around in. He's built a few bubble nests in there, so he must be happy with it :41:

[Lady Hobbs]

My wood is the Malaysian wood and too large to boil. Since it had been processed already, I just tossed it in the tank. It leeched tannins for some time but I like the effect myself. Cleaned up with water changes after a while. The wood I found myself, still too large to boil, I just put in a large trash can and soaked it in saltwater for a couple weeks. Changed the water as it browned and added new and left out the salt the last few soakings.

Different woods add more tannins than others but none of it is harmful and the kind of water discus like.

[salman]

After boiling the driftwood for 3 times, i stopped because the color of the driftwood was fading away.