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I purchased 2 peices of driftwood last weekend and as they were too big to put in a pan or anything to boil them, i put them in a big bucket and filed it with boiling water from some kettles which i was continually using. the logs released tuns of tannins for the first time, i changed the water probably 5 times in the one arvo, and then refilled it with more boiling water every arvo for about 3 days. i then let it soak for about 2 days in the same water. this afternoon i changed the water, but just for cold water. the logs have been in the water for about 4 hours and the water is still sparkling clean. does this mean they are fine to put in my tank?? or would the slight difference in tap water temp and tank temp promote the release of further tannins? im planning to leave it till sunday to put in (today is thursday) this should be enough shouldnt it?

You've most likely released most of them, using the cold water rather than warm water will make it harder for the wood to release the tannins so I'd still suggest using warm (doesn't have to be boiling) water.

You may still see some release after you've put it in the tank but nothing like what you saw when you first soaked it. Running carbon for a while or doing small water changes will help remove the tannins from the tank if they look bad to you (some people like the look ).

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i always put too large pieces of driftwood in the bathtub for a few hours with the hottest water i can get out of my tap. it sounds like yours is ready for the tank though

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Tannins usually doesn´t have a negative effect on the tank anyway. Many fish species preffer darker water. The only thing you should be aware of is that the tannins may lower your pH if the water is very soft. It probably shouldn´t be a problem but keep it in mind!

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