Driftwood tannins

[Jenja]

So I'm currently soaking out 6 pieces of driftwood (all small, 3 mopani looking type on one bucket, and 3 spiderwood on the other). I don't boil my wood but I use hot water from my tap. As I was dumping the water off today I started wondering if I actually need to use hot water for soaking or if the tannins would release better in cold. Anyone know? Or is it going to be a case of temperature doesn't really matter.

I'm not really trying to eliminate the tannins entirely, that'll be impossible, especially on the mopani - that'll tea stain the water for at least the next decade or more (as I've seen first-hand in my old 5 gallon tank - it has never stopped and I think it went into that tank around 2010ish). However I would like my tea stain to be weak hence the week or so soaking I'm planning (not a single piece floated when introduced to water which mildly freaked me out).

[Tihshho]

Look at it like teabags. Putting a teabag in cool water and letting it soak will release tannins, albeit slowly. Doing it with hot water will release tannins faster. Both processes work, but it's a time thing. If you want to soak it for weeks or months, cold is fine. If you want to get it done in a few days, go hot. 

[nabokovfan87]

I usually give it a week.