# Leaching driftwood help



## Aramz (Jun 24, 2008)

What is the best way to leach the tannins from driftwood for my lake malawi cichlid tank. Should i bleach it? What would be the correct method. Also so i leave in a hot tub of water for a while? Any advice would be greta thanks


----------



## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Basically, soak it in water for as long as possible. Four weeks seems to be good. We've had a 20g tank soaking drift wood for ages in the corner of the "fish room" (the living room is overrun with fish tanks). Over the summer I had a giant muck-bucket on the front porch.

We change the water twice a week, and when the tank stays clear for a few days, it's OK to remove the wood and put it in with the fish.

-Ryan


----------



## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I actually boiled mine, when the water got real dark, I dumped it out, put in fresh and boiled again. I did it until the water didn't get very tinged and then put it in the tank (after letting it sit a while in cold water). I've never had any problem. However, I do not have driftwood in my African tank, only in my community tanks . . .


----------



## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

DONT BLEACH WOOD!

Yes I am shouting but one should agree it is necessary. Residues/chlorimines will be soaked into the wood then making de-chlorintaor useless at getting rid of them.

Just soak it in a 55g Sterilite storage tub. Get them from Walmart for a few bucks. Keep changing the water and maybe even put in a power head or other type of pump. If you dont mind the addition of carbon in a nylon sack will help out lots but will need to be replaced in time also.

Dont boil it, some wood will become nasty and the boiling will actually break it down and make it more weak and the chances of it lasting long will be reduced.

Also, not all pieces of wood will fit into a pot for boiling.


----------



## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

hollyfish2000 said:


> I actually boiled mine, when the water got real dark, I dumped it out, put in fresh and boiled again. I did it until the water didn't get very tinged and then put it in the tank (after letting it sit a while in cold water). I've never had any problem.


+1 To that!

I've had wood stacked to the brim (ok not quite, but you get the idea) and after a good boil my water has always been crystal clear. I got this purigen stuff free when I bought my Rena and I will say that did an awesome job of making the water clear with pieces that were too large to boil.

Either that, or patience, with a loooooong soak, I'm pretty impatient so boiling works well for me .


----------



## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

I have had way to many pieces of wood degrade way to fast from that but what works for some... may not work for others 8) .

Honestly, I rarely use wood with Africans. I think I have one small piece with my Tanganyikans that has been aged in another tank so in most cases I just toss it in the tank


----------



## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Not sure if it matters, but the wood I "boiled" was Mopani . . . There has been no decay of the wood and both large pieces have been in their respective tanks for about a year.

And yes, I did use a VERY large pot with one end sticking out the top. (I'd rotate it occasionally).


----------



## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I agree do NOT bleach it.
To boil or not to boil I guess is up to you. If I bought the driftwood for a LFS or something I might not boil it but I found a neat little piece shaped like a concave X along the river near my house and I boiled it twice, then soaked it for about a week changing the water daily until it stayed clear for a couple days. I guess the boiling did weaken the wood because one of the pieces forming the X broke off and now it's shaped like a y :lol: I would still boil anything that came out of our river though  .


----------



## naegling23 (Jan 4, 2008)

first off, I wouldnt put driftwood in an african tank, they acidify the water, as well as darken it. Plus, driftwood is not natural in most african tanks, and natural looking tanks usually look better in my opinion.

A few things you can do with the wood:
-boil it to remove as much of the tannins as quickly as possible, replace the water a few times so that when you boil it, it no longer stains the water. This might cause the driftwood to break down though. You could also just soak it in a tub, but boiling will speed up the process.
-photobleach it. Do not use actual bleach, but you could leave the driftwood outside in a very sunny spot for about a year until it turns a lighter color.
-add carbon to your filter. Carbon removes tannins. When you start to see an increase in the tank color, just change the carbon.

The best way in my opinion would be to boil the driftwood with a couple of water changes until you dont see any color change. Then let it cool down and put it into your tank. You will still see some leaching of tannins over the next couple of months, and carbon can help take care of this.

But, my ultimate suggestion is still to just put a bunch of rocks in the tank.


----------



## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

> first off, I wouldnt put driftwood in an african tank, they acidify the water, as well as darken it. Plus, driftwood is not natural in most african tanks, and natural looking tanks usually look better in my opinion.


I highly disagree. A few small pieces will not do much at all to a good size African Tank.Wood that is aged properly will not darken your water. And I can show you lots of pics with wood in Rift Lakes. I also seen many videos that show wood in the Rift Lakes.


----------



## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

naegling23 said:


> first off, I wouldnt put driftwood in an african tank, they acidify the water, as well as darken it. Plus, driftwood is not natural in most african tanks, and natural looking tanks usually look better in my opinion.


driftwood is quite often found in the rift lakes, for example Ps Acei are regularly seen schooling around sunken trees in the lake

to quote Ad Konings (page 246, Malawi Cichlids In Their Natural Environment, 3rd edition)


> It is restricted to sandy shores on the east coast of the lake, but it has also been seen at Luwala Reef. It is rare and found near (branches of ) trees that have been washed into the lake. It feeds from aufwuchs covering the waterlogged wood
> 
> 
> > and I'm willing to bet there are many similar species in the other lakes that occupy similar niches. trees will always end up in the lake, either by falling directly into it, or by coming downstream from any one of the rivers that feed into it.
> ...


----------

