Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 I have been tempted to put driftwood in 6 of my aquariums yet whenever I did this, it always ends up leaving A LOT of tanis behind. I am okay with some tanis because I know there it is beneficial, but I do want some of those tanks as clear as possible. I have soaked a piece of driftwood for over half a year yet after I put it back into a tank, it didn't make a difference. Would boiling help? I would really appreciate any ideas. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcalberto Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Yes, boiling helps removing tannins, but as far as I know, all driftwood loses stops releasing tannins after a while, so you could just keep it it in your tank and everything should work out eventually 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 I put a piece of spiderwood in my 37 gallon after soaking in hot water for 4 days. It was too large for me to boil, so I would put as hot water as possible into the rubbermaid and changed anytime it cooled down. I find myself now, a month later, changing water twice every week to combat the tannins, but I enjoy giving the fish the structure to swim around so don't want to lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics Posted September 8, 2020 Author Share Posted September 8, 2020 Sounds good. Thank you very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenP2003 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Boiling it several times helps. I've boiled pieces 8 or 9 times and made tea out of it each time, so I don't know how many times it would take. But for the little that leach out in the aquarium, seachem purigen takes care of it easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyBundy Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 I boil it and use a sponge with the brillo pad on one side . After boiling it, i use the brillo side of the sponge to scrub some of the loose particles off. I haven't had any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 I feel your pain. I got a GIANT piece of driftwood, too big to boil. So big that I didn't have to worry about it sinking because it is wedged into the tank under the rim. It was old and had been tumbled in the sea for a year or two. I scrubbed it and picked off all the remaining shreds of bark. It still turned the water coffee brown for a week of water changes, then strong tea for a month. Now it is like green tea. Right after a water change it is almost clear for a day or so. Sigh. I am ready for the clear water that was so beautiful the day I put it in the tank... day 1 day 56? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 That piece does look amazing! The piece that is the challenge for me is the one on the right. The left piece seems to not be letting any tannins out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Blake Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 If you can than boil it a lot but if you can't soaking it and changing out the water in the tub frequently. In my case the wood would have been to heavy to lift wet as it was about a 100 pound piece so I have to do a lot of carbon and 50% water changes to keep up on it. that is doing pretty well at keeping the tank clear but I'm on month 5 and it still doesn't sink lol. Here are some before and this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Blake Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I once tried to remove all my tannins because I watched too many aquascaping videos. I have had a lot more success letting the wood do its thing, and embracing the tea. Filter floss is the only product I would use to slowly clear the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sykes Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 @Brandy, I'm jealous, that piece looks beautiful! @Patrick M. Bodega Aquatics, generally agree with the other posters here. I have maybe 30 lbs of driftwood in a 75 g. I boiled them in the largest pot I could find 3-4 times for an hour+ each. Some of the pieces I had to flip and twist a few times because the whole piece wouldn't fit in at once. The pot water was never 100% clear after boiling, but it'd get slightly clearer each time. Purigen took care of the rest so the tank water never darkened. Haven't got my hands on a piece too big to boil yet, but I'd guess that if you're able to get some water flow that might help speed up the process in lieu of heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 13 hours ago, Taylor Blake said: In my case the wood would have been to heavy to lift wet as it was about a 100 pound piece so.... Clearly, I have no right calling my piece "giant" lol. That is going to be an incredible scape, @Taylor Blake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I added a bulky piece of Mopani to my 40 breeder at the same time I was recharging my Purigen. In about an hour or two, I had a very close to blackwater tank. I put the Purigen back in and it was pretty clean in a couple of hours. I notice a littel bit of tannin, but not much at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 14 minutes ago, Rouxster said: I added a bulky piece of Mopani to my 40 breeder at the same time I was recharging my Purigen. In about an hour or two, I had a very close to blackwater tank. I put the Purigen back in and it was pretty clean in a couple of hours. I notice a littel bit of tannin, but not much at all. Yup, I've not used it yet, but have a 53 gallon currently cycling with a large piece of driftwood, and plan to use it once its cycled. A few youtube vids agreed that it worked in this regard, as does this (specifically the tannic acid absorption claim): https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/7-4-6-purigen/ I'm just waiting until the tank is cycled before trying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 20 minutes ago, Bill said: Yup, I've not used it yet, but have a 53 gallon currently cycling with a large piece of driftwood, and plan to use it once its cycled. A few youtube vids agreed that it worked in this regard, as does this (specifically the tannic acid absorption claim): https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/7-4-6-purigen/ I'm just waiting until the tank is cycled before trying it. What's interesting about that article is that when I had "only" (lol) 2 aquariums, I had Purigen in both of the Aquaclears. I would have sworn that it was the reason for my water being so clear and ammonia free. Then my youngest son wanted an aquarium, so we got him a 10 gallon with an Aquaclear and I didn't have Purigen, so I didn't put it in. That was about a month ago. The parameters are just as good as my other two and it's crystal clear. As for it removing the tannins, it works great. I still stand behind that, like the article said. I know tannins don't just disappear in a couple of hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Blake Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 @Brandy it's not the size of your wood it's how you use it. Your piece has a lot of cool structure to it and looks great in your tank. My problem is when you have a big tank you need big things to make it look right. You also run into the Weird problems Like you can't boil Your wood to take the tannins out 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I had a bad experience recharging Purigen when I tried it a couple of years ago. If anyone chooses to do that, please get good instructions, and follow them carefully. Maybe someone can share them in this thread or a dedicated Purigen thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 49 minutes ago, Streetwise said: I had a bad experience recharging Purigen when I tried it a couple of years ago. If anyone chooses to do that, please get good instructions, and follow them carefully. Maybe someone can share them in this thread or a dedicated Purigen thread. I have recharged mine 2 or 3 times so far. I use the directions from the FAQ on the Purigen product page. I put the link below. You have to follow the EXACT instructions. Seachem Purigen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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