# Removing tannins from tank water



## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Try soaking it in salt water for a week or so while changing the water every couple of days till its clear, or even boil or maybe soak it in bleach water solution then the salt solution and a boil. options!


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## robitreef (Nov 21, 2003)

Thanks. Boiling I think would be out as they are pretty large pieces-unless I were to pour boiling water over the pieces. They have some really nice epiphytic plant growth on them currently, so I do not want to kill the plants with bleach/saltwater. The tank currently reflects an asian blackwater stream, and algae growth is not a fast due to the dark water. I was hoping to try some kind of absorption media.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Activated carbon is said to help clear tannins from the water... 


Jason


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Yup a little under the filterwool in a little box filter will get it out quickly...


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## robitreef (Nov 21, 2003)

O.K. I setup the 75 gallon this past weekend and used some activated carbon to removed the tannins. I worked somewhat, but now my water is more yellowish then brown. I can live with it and the light penetration has increased. Do you know how long activated carbon lasts until it needs to be replaced and does it remove important trace elements for the plants? I added a 15lb bag of SeaChem Flourite in addition to the gravel in my 29 which had laterite mixed in it initially a year ago. I then added an additional 20lbs of gravel. Since the fertilizers are in the gravel bed is there anything to worry about?


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## cruizer (Jan 8, 2004)

I thought you were supposed to avoid using activated carbon in a plant tank?


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## robitreef (Nov 21, 2003)

Cruizer:

I was using it initially to remove tannins that are leaching from my driftwood. It's been in the tank for about four days now, so eventually when I get more plants I will most likely remove the carbon. It looks like it has helped somwhat with the color of the water.


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## unirdna (Jan 22, 2004)

I made the mistake of putting a piece of driftwood in my 30 gal that I found on the shores of Lake Superior. It had a very light color to it, so I thought mother nature had bled out all the tannins. Hehe....two weeks later, I can't even see to the back of the tank. Fishies didn't seem to mind as far as I could tell (as I only saw them if they swam up against the glass). Anyway, I tried using my HOT magnum with a full bin of carbon to remove the tannins. It barely made a dent. Partial water changes was the only thing that made any significant improvement.


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## robitreef (Nov 21, 2003)

Thanks again everyone for your input. I have my carbon in for a week now and I plan on taking it out, probably tonight. It has significantly removed the tannins, though upgrading my tank from a 29 to a 75 has obviously helped as I added more water to dilute the color. The tank still has a yellowish color but nowhere near as dark as it used to be. I am also still running only 2 of the 4 55w PCs in my fixture, and am waiting for my shipment of crypts to arrive from Westerleigh Aquarium. I noticed my Crypt ciliata leaves were starting to yellow, so the carbon could be removing the nutrients, though I have flourite in the substrate. There is a nice new leaf emerging from the water on one Ciliata plant and some of my mangroves have started opening new leaves. So far no algae growth either-knock on driftwood


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