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getting the tannins out of driftwood

43K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  Hcancino 
#1 ·
I apologize. I'm sure this topic is already covered elsewhere but I either haven't learned the intricacies of this forum's search, or the search kind sux. :icon_neut

Aaaaanyway, I needed a small piece of wood for my 29 gallon tank and I found a piece of ZooMed mopani at my LFS. Put it in a bucket of water a week ago: dark tea. Put it in clear water: weak tea. Again: dishwater that cleaned a tea pot.

So it's working but I'd like the wood to be as tannin free as possible before I put it in. Any tips to speed up the process? I need to boil it still: will that help or hurt the process?

Thanks!
 
#4 ·
I bought 3 extremely large thick pieces of Mopani driftwood, and started soaking them in a large rubbermaid trash can. It took me almost 3 months to get most of the tannins out. I changed the water every few days, and used hot water, hot water with salt, and water with bleach switching each time I changed the water.

It was a pain to do all that, but I finally got most of the tannins out. I don't think you'll need to get as extreme as I did, because your piece is a lot smaller and thinner. However, it will take awhile.

Don't let it discourage you though. Remember you only need to do the curing process once. It's great looking stuff, and it sinks with out adding some sort of weight to it.
 
#6 ·
I just soaked mine for a few days, changing the water from time to time. I got the majority of tannins out, but not all. After about 2 weeks in my tank my water got a little bit tainted, but not so much that it looks bad. It actually makes the tank look pretty natural and cool.

If you want to ensure they are all out, then I'd agree with the others that boiling is the way to go.
 
#7 ·
when steeping grains for brewing beer we avoid boiling them because boiling releases tannins into the liquid. so guess what I would suggest....
 
#12 ·
Mopani is the worst for tannin leaching.

I've boiled it nightly for 2 weeks in the past and still had leaching.

The malasian stuff is better, but still leaches.

Being patient is the only thing I have found that works. Once it's been in the tank for a few weeks or months (after extensive boiling) The leaching becomes unnoticeable.
 
#13 ·
Mopani is the worst for tannin leaching....Once it's been in the tank for a few weeks or months (after extensive boiling) The leaching becomes unnoticeable.
OR - I could just cut my losses. The wood was only six bucks. I'd rather spend thirty bucks on a higher quality piece of wood and save myself all of this hassle.
 
#16 ·
Manzanita grows where I live. I'm going to have to get out on some prospecting hikes soon.:fish:

These guys seem to have some nice pieces.
http://www.manzanita.com/aqwood.htm
 
#17 ·
Didn't want to start a new thread so I decided to bump this 7 month old thread instead. I have some manzanita wood I purchased recently and I am doing a dry start. I put the wood in there and covered the top with seran wrap. Would it be better if I took it out and started submerging it? Another question is would it be okay if I stuck the wood in my quarantine tank with my fish? It's a 28 gallon tub
 
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