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There are some pieces of Driftwood that keep on leaking tanning for ages.


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Yea, I just call the whole thing the filter. Well, I call the HOB canister the filter and the spounge/wool or whatever, the cartridge. Just something I have done since I started keeping fish. It comes from being someone who started keeping fish and knew nothing about them. All Ive learned Ive learned from here, doing research and my LFS.

Adding extra carbon wont hurt.
Allow me to help straighten out a term or two for you . The biofilter exists anywhere there's water, oxygen and a place to cling to. It just so happens that a lot of it lives in the foam or sponge or floss pad that's part of a HOB or canister filter. But a lot lives in the gravel, ornaments, even on the glass of the tank.

There's really not a worry with the tannic acids, they lower the ph some, make the water a little harder to see through, but otherwise may just end up frustrating you if you dwell on it too much. Doing small water changes will also help.

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The filter I have is the kind that has the carbon built in. So, since I dont want to put a new filter in, since the one in it is just a few weeks old, I got some nylon and put new carbon in it and stuck it down in the filter to try and help remove the tannis. Is this ok? It will only fit in front of the bio fiber.

trying again

ladiejl attached this image:


well. I tried to get it sized right. anyway, maybe you can see it well enough.

Last edited by ladiejl at 01-Nov-2005 00:49[/font]

heres a pic of the tank


ladiejl attached this image:

I guess I put the wood in too soon. I sokaed it until the water was pretty much clear. The tank just has a murky, yellowish color. The carbon in there has just been in about 9-10 days. It should still be pretty active. But in the near future I will make sure to change it regularly. I keep carbon in all my filters....always.

I will take pics and post them later today.

Thanks a bunch for all your help on all of my questions!

Hi,
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "I really don't
like it." Is it the driftwood that you don't like?

I have see some really remarkable and truly stunning tanks
that have driftwood either as a center piece or in the
background. Many of the tanks have plants attached to them
so that they eventually coat the wood completely.

As far as the tannins are concerned, you can eliminate the
colored water by using carbon in your filter. It will
adsorb the tannins. Initially, you will have to replace
the carbon frequently as it gets "saturated" but over time
the tannins taper off to nothing.

If you can post a picture in the Aquascaping Forum, I'm
sure all sorts of folks will have suggestions as to
placement, and even their favorite plant to attach to it.

Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 31-Oct-2005 09:39

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

I fixed the tank today. I dont really like it.

I bought some driftwood from my LFS. IT was my undrestanding I could soak it to remove all the brown coloring if I wanted to. She didnt tell me anything else to do to it. Ive been soaking it in hot water since about 3p this afternoon. Ive changed the water twice. Since this was bought as LFS do i need to do anything else to it? Do I just let it soak until the water stays clear? I plan on scrubing it with a brush before I add it and I plan on soaking it a bit more after I scrub it to release any coloring or dirt that the scrubbing my have loosened.



Last edited by ladiejl at 30-Oct-2005 01:21

well, i havent saw any oil. i scrubbed them and the brush didnt even get brown on it. i put it in at about 3. its 2:25 now and the water is almost unstained since last water change. ill change the water once more. let it soak all night.

Hi,
When I worked in pet shops 20+ years ago, they also had
live food such as crickets. Sooner or later some got loose
and called the LFS "home" along with other "critters" that
escaped. Eventually they owner would have to spray bug
killer around to bring the wild population under control.
This was frequently contracted out to folks who would come
in after closing and spray. Or, it fell to the junior
person working there. The upshot is that you should be
sure that the stuff is completely wrapped in plastic before
purchasing, and that you throughly clean it before placing
in in your tank. Because much of the pesticides are not
water soluble, if you put it in a tub of water and
later you see a oily film on the surface, you have got
pesticide on and in the wood.

Frank


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

It will depend totally on the species of wood some take longer than others. I soaked on piece for 3+weeks and it still leached out tannins.

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Keith

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just soak the wood, change the waters like u have been doing, so then u can add it into the tank. without staining the tank water.

"i added some in a stryo box for about 3 days with constant changes, and then they should be good for the tank."

do what chris?

The driftwood I get from my LFS is ready to drop in the tank as soon as I get it home. They have there wood in there tanks with there fish.

i added some in a stryo box for about 3 days with constant changes, and then they should be good for the tank. as long as they sink they should be good. of course the ones with slate on the bottom are proabably the easiest.