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hi guys

i have soaked the wood for 1.5 weeks and scrubed it 3 times and have boiled it. Today after its 3 scrub there was nealy no tan in the water. My Q there for is can i put it in my tank now or sould i wait longer?

Hi,
It certainly sounds like you have prepped the wood for the
tank. The main question now is, Does it still float?

Preparation wise it is ready for the tank. Now you just
have to figure out how to pin it down so it does not float
to the surface.

If the wood is still leaking tannic acid into the tank,
the water will turn yellow over a period of time. If it
is just "barely leaking" then regular water changes will
eliminate that problem. If you are concerned, you can also
use Carbon in your filter, and change it weekly till the
yellowing ceases.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

thanks FRANK it sinks fine and does not want to float at all! As for a carbon filter there is always one in the tank as it is part of the filter media. Even though it is not giving off any tan when it is in the bucket will it give some off in the tank do u think? And if it does give some off will it stop giveing it off in the end? thanks guys!

Depends how long it was in the bucket. If your looking for color after 2 days it's different than if your comparing the water in the bucket after sitting for a week. It may still be giving off tiny amounts that can build up over several weeks. That amount though will probably be unnoticeable with carbon and water changes. Some pieces of wood do always give off a little tannic acid but unless you stop running chemical filtration and miss a few water changes it usually doesn't reach a noticeable amount. One exception though is having wood eating plecos in the tank. My clowns scrape the top layer off the wood causing it to release tannins as if it were brand new wood again.

Hi,
As the tannins leech out into the water, it creates
a "zone of depletion" or an area with very little acid.
The fresh tannins in the interior of the wood has
to migrate through that zone to get out into the tank.
This zone is called a "weathering rind" and eventually
the thickness of that zone or rind is such that
the driftwood stops leaching tannins into the tank.
Of course, as the plecos munch on the wood, it opens up
fresh wood to the water and the process begins again.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Do not worry if acid still finds its way into the water. Other than make the water look murky, it can also lower the ph, but weekly water changes will solve this problem.

Good luck

"There is also a Clown Pleco in this tank some where. I am telling you, HE IS IN HERE."

how large is the piece of driftwood? because i have a large piece in my 150g tank and i soaked this thinkg for a month and it still floated for like another few weeks after moving it.

because if its a small peice, you could get away with strapping it to a large rock or peice of slate and bury that under some gravel. or just let it float and it will sink gradually. and then once it does, adjust it to how you want it to sit in the tank

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Scrubbing and no tannins in the water immediately after is one thing. But totally different to soaking for a few days and the water *staying* clear.

I would soak in a bucket for a few days to check before putting it in my tank... just 'cause it is such a hassle to change gallons and gallons of water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~