Wood and tannins

[Vanessa K]

If there's already a thread about this, I'm sorry, but I'm a new member and haven't really got a hang of it yet.

My question is this: I've bought fancy spider wood, quite a lot actually, it's a problem I have. I have a small tank going, it's supposed to become a quarantine tank. I'm starting up the main tank, 190 gallons, and my problem is this: I want to get rid of at least most of the tannin, the plan is to keep the Ph as high as possible, so I've soaked it in a barrel, the wood, and keep changing the water - and yes, the water becomes less and less tea'ish. But I can see that there are flakes of "bacteria mass" floating. Gunk. What do I do? I get that stagnant water is gonna create organic matter that aren't that fun. When I'm done. How do I get rid of the gunk? (I'm not sure if "gunk" is actually a word in English, but I hope you get what I mean).

Edited April 23, 2021 by Vanessa K

[lefty o]

im guessing your gunk is the white fungusy looking stuff. if it is, dont worry about it. it is unsightly, but it will go away on its own. depending on your piece of wood, and water  etc it can take a few weeks to a month or so.

[laritheloud]

Snails also love eating that gunk. My 2 nerites and mystery snail feast on that stuff whenever it pops up.

[BenA]

Yesterday I saw one of my Corydoras digging into it and finishing it off, free food.

[Vanessa K]

Thank you! The barrel broke, so I'll have to start all over again, but I'm not giving up, so your answers will be useful.