[pucksr]

In the past, when I've installed driftwood, I have boiled it to release some of the excess tannins.
However, Im not sure if this helps. If the wood is constantly decaying, it is going to release tannins

So, I ask the assembled wisdom of the forum. Do you all try to boil out tannins or do you just put the driftwood in and let it leach?

 

[minorhero]

I definitely boil all of my wood that will fit into my largest stock pot, and some that doesn't quite fit. I will boil the wood for about 40 minutes to an hour which is much longer than many people. it definitely gets rid of the vast majority of tannins that could color the water in my tank. I almost never have any tint to my water at all after boiling wood, even wood known to cause a lot of tint like mopani or bogwood.

It also has the added advantage of killing off the weird fungus that tends to form on most wood after adding it to the tank if you boil it almost immediately before adding it to the tank itself.

And finally, boiled wood sinks, whereas non-boiled wood will take a long time to get water logged.

 

[evil8]

I don't mind tannins. I boil it to clean it and help water log it. I have a piece too big to boil soaking in a tub now for almost 3 weeks and it still floats. It it's floating by this weekend I'm tying it to a piece of slate.

 

[ZChalk]

Seachem Purigen will help to remove tannins. It's also rechargeable. That fungus or white fuzz is part of the decomposition process of the wood (if it isn't boiled). It goes away after awhile and doesn't hurt tank occupants though slightly unsightly.

 

[Discusluv]

I dont boil. I put in tub and soak for at least a month. Changing the water out every 4-5 days.
Boiling seems, to me, to make the wood decay faster.

 

[Skayell]

Another way to soak out some of the tannins is by putting the wood in the toilet tank—the tank, not the toilet bowl!—for a week or two. Flushing the toilet a few times a day, which you’re probably going to do anyway, automatically keeps the water changed.

While some people have an “eeeww, yuck!” reaction to anything associated with toilets, remember that no water from the bowl ever gets into the tank. Before I soak wood in the back, though I pour a little bleach* in the tank and let it sit for ~30 minutes, just to eliminate the kind of bacteria and slime diatoms that are present in any water container where water sits for most of the time. I also use a gravel vacuum and remove the precipitated flakes of carbonates that are on the bottom of the toilet tank, because the tap water here has a lot of added lime.

I haven’t tried boiling the wood, but it sounds like it might reduce the white slime it gets in the aquarium. The slime may not hurt the fish or invert, but it throws off the aesthetics.

* Before adding bleach, make sure there are no other chemicals in the water, like the types you hang in the tank that are supposed to keep cleaning the toilet. Be sure, also, never to put bleach in the tank at the same time you have a toilet bowl cleaner in the bowl. Always make sure you flush a toilet at least 4-5 times between putting bleach and any other cleaner, like toilet bowl cleaner or cleaners like Fantastik, Scrubbing Bubbles, Lysol sprays. Mixing many household chemicals can cause release of gases that are very poisonous. I’m sure you know this already, but I can’t stress it enough.

 

[Plinkploop]

Depends on what type of tank I'm setting up whether I boil for tannins or soak and scrub for fungous. If I'm doing a bright water habitat or a showcase community tank I will boil out tannins for about half an hour, scrub down then boil again for 20 minutes or so, scrub then wash in water change water. If I'm doing a Blackwater habitat or breeder tank I soak, scrub and water change for 3 to 4 months to waterlog and remove fungus so that it retrains some tannins. I just really hate fungus and when you're breeding, yes, that fungus can destroy eggs in no time flat, so yes, it does negatively affect that environment.

 

[Ordinary Joe]

If the wood is small enough to fit in a pot, I will usually boil it. As people already said, it makes the wood sink faster and I fell it helps reducing the amount of tannins. If I can't boil it, I'll just rinse it well and use as is or let it soak for a couple weeks in a bucket.

Also, putting the wood in the toilet tank as mentioned by @Skayell seems very clever. I think I'll try it in the future.

 

[Anon]

It also has the added advantage of killing off the weird fungus that tends to form on most wood after adding it to the tank if you boil it almost immediately before adding it to the tank itself.

Hi @minorhero,

I've sometimes wondered if the fungal spores are not in the wood but in the aquarium water itself. Thus, boiling the wood removes the tannins, etc. upon which the water-borne fungal spores feed. Plausible?

Anon

 

[minorhero]

Hi @minorhero,

I've sometimes wondered if the fungal spores are not in the wood but in the aquarium water itself. Thus, boiling the wood removes the tannins, etc. upon which the water-borne fungal spores feed. Plausible?

Anon

I'm guessing probably not just because when I introduce wood that I boiled for a while but not long enough I will still get some discoloration of the water but still no fungus. I'm pretty sure we are seeing something that is imbedded in the wood itself working its way out.

 

[Anon]

I'm guessing probably not just because when I introduce wood that I boiled for a while but not long enough I will still get some discoloration of the water but still no fungus. I'm pretty sure we are seeing something that is imbedded in the wood itself working its way out.

OK, then I might be inclined to agree with you. It's no deal-breaker, just an observation that I once made.

Anon