Driftwood

[dmurray407]

I have wood questions. Do you boil the wood to remove potential contaminants or to get some of the tannin out? Last summer I bought a piece of "aquarium wood" (I don't remember what kind) but it came from a pet store and the label said to soak it for a few days-nothing about boiling. I soaked that thing for about 2 months and the water was still murky brown. I was going to just put it out in my garden but my granddaughter took it for her aquarium. I told her to keep soaking it-I think it probably ended up as an expensive piece of bonfire wood. Does all driftwood continue to seep tannin into the water and is it harmful to the fish? Is one type of wood better than the others when it comes to aquarium use? 

[Casual aquatics]

On 10/1/2021 at 8:54 PM, dmurray407 said:

I have wood questions. Do you boil the wood to remove potential contaminants or to get some of the tannin out? Last summer I bought a piece of "aquarium wood" (I don't remember what kind) but it came from a pet store and the label said to soak it for a few days-nothing about boiling. I soaked that thing for about 2 months and the water was still murky brown. I was going to just put it out in my garden but my granddaughter took it for her aquarium. I told her to keep soaking it-I think it probably ended up as an expensive piece of bonfire wood. Does all driftwood continue to seep tannin into the water and is it harmful to the fish? Is one type of wood better than the others when it comes to aquarium use? 

Yes you'll probably never get it all out of the driftwood that comes with the territory  but boiling dose pull a good chunk out 

[lefty o]

On 10/1/2021 at 7:54 PM, dmurray407 said:

I have wood questions. Do you boil the wood to remove potential contaminants or to get some of the tannin out? Last summer I bought a piece of "aquarium wood" (I don't remember what kind) but it came from a pet store and the label said to soak it for a few days-nothing about boiling. I soaked that thing for about 2 months and the water was still murky brown. I was going to just put it out in my garden but my granddaughter took it for her aquarium. I told her to keep soaking it-I think it probably ended up as an expensive piece of bonfire wood. Does all driftwood continue to seep tannin into the water and is it harmful to the fish? Is one type of wood better than the others when it comes to aquarium use? 

that was probably a chunk of mopani. they will leech brown for quite a while. in smaller aquariums they can really color the water, but over time it does go away.

[dmurray407]

On 10/1/2021 at 10:31 PM, lefty o said:

that was probably a chunk of mopani. they will leech brown for quite a while. in smaller aquariums they can really color the water, but over time it does go away.

Yes, I think that it was mopani-it was a pretty big chunk.

[Guppysnail]

On 10/1/2021 at 8:54 PM, dmurray407 said:

Does all driftwood continue to seep tannin into the water and is it harmful to the fish? Is one type of wood better than the others when it comes to aquarium use? 

I have found manzanita and spiderwoos leech the least amount of tannins.  They are also smaller so you can boil to leech and sink quicker. If you dry them out then resink I have found they leech again. Tannins are very beneficial to aquatic life for many reasons. They will not harm your pets. If you are concerned or do not enjoy the look (some tanks I like it some tanks I do not). Place a chemical media such as carbon or others in your filter it will remove a large portion. 

[Torrey]

On 10/1/2021 at 6:54 PM, dmurray407 said:

I have wood questions. Do you boil the wood to remove potential contaminants or to get some of the tannin out? Last summer I bought a piece of "aquarium wood" (I don't remember what kind) but it came from a pet store and the label said to soak it for a few days-nothing about boiling. I soaked that thing for about 2 months and the water was still murky brown. I was going to just put it out in my garden but my granddaughter took it for her aquarium. I told her to keep soaking it-I think it probably ended up as an expensive piece of bonfire wood. Does all driftwood continue to seep tannin into the water and is it harmful to the fish? Is one type of wood better than the others when it comes to aquarium use? 

I boil locally harvested wood if I can fit it in a pot, to make sure I am not introducing predators into my tanks.

Otherwise, I pour boiling water over, and soak wood in a kiddy pool.

I check the wood for smell of any pinenes, turpenes, or other phytochemicals that may harm my fish after soaking for a few days (yes, I use predominantly locally harvested woods, which includes piñon and cedars and requires that I make sure all sap and moisture is first baked out of the wood via our desert sun).

About 10% to 20% of the wood I collect will float for over a year in my 4' long tanks, contributing to a very naturalistic look.

 

Primarily, I scrub & soak wood to ensure any chemicals that may have been sprayed in a store / used to put out our local forest fires, is removed before I add to the tank.

My fish love the tannins, and tannins contribute to fish staying healthy. 

(See 'peer-reviewed research indian almond leaves bettas' for more data on tannins and fish health.)