# How long to get tannins out of wood?



## djlen (Sep 14, 2003)

Boil it until the water looks like tea. Pour it off and refill and boil it again. Do this until the amber color stops showing up. You will still get some leaching into the tank, but it will go away a bit quicker.

Len


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## Mothi (Mar 28, 2004)

It doesn't fit in any pot of mine. So boiling it in a pot of water is not an option. I am guessing I have about 1-2 weeks before I can set a tank up anyways.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Soak the sucker in a 5-gallon bucket and just continuously change the water. It's a lot slower (months) than boiling and by the time that you're ready to set the tank up, it'll still leach tanins.


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## Bonsai (Jul 26, 2004)

I had a piece leach for approx 2 months and the yellowish color was annoying at first but I got used to it. However, mine wasn't as red as yours so I;m wondering whether you'll get a bright red color.


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## Mothi (Mar 28, 2004)

It looks really red because it is wet I think, but the piece was kinda red anyways. I tried boiling one side of it in my pot, but when I tried to flip it over to boil the other side, it didn't fit....lol So I boiled one side for 1 hour and looks like I got brown soup. But at least the log sinks now. So I will just boil that one end every now between soaks of hot water that I change many times a day. Water is still yellow...but I can live with that, maybe.


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

Try going to a thrift store and see if you can find an old stockpot. They should be really cheap and some day you may want to boil a turkey carcass for soup. No kitchen should be without one!


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

That looks more like Mopani wood than Malaysian driftwood. You might have some issues with tannins, but it shouldn't be as bad as a piece of Malaysian driftwood. 

If you do have an issue with tannins boiling and soaking is the only way I know how to reduce tannins.

Mike


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## Mothi (Mar 28, 2004)

I got it from a pile of small Malaysian driftwood chunks at the store. Will there be a problem using Mopani wood? Basically, is it okay used completely submerged? Or does it have a tendecy to fungus up?


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

No problem if it is Mopani!

You might get some fungus on it, but that is not because it is Mopani wood. Fungus can occur on any type of wood.

Mike


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## oldfarmhouse (May 18, 2004)

For $2.00 I wouldn't care how long I had to soak it!!. You can buy lots of that stuff and sell it for a profit at those prices. Nice wood!!


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## Nemomom (Aug 21, 2004)

I was told at my aquarium center to put aquarium salt in with the soaking process. That it brings more of the tanins out.


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## m3th0d (Jun 27, 2004)

I don't think putting salt in will really do anything..


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## skela (Sep 14, 2004)

*i would say BOIL it*



Mori said:


> Try going to a thrift store and see if you can find an old stockpot. They should be really cheap and some day you may want to boil a turkey carcass for soup. No kitchen should be without one!


i find boiling the most effective of removing bacteria/tannin/leeching/purging driftwoods and FW rocks/stones amongst the other methods. i would take the suggestion of mori and dash to a nearby thriftstore  

boil it and keep on changing the water until it boils out with a clear water ! :wink:


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

I wonder if salt would slow the growth of mold and mosquito larvae in a no-boil soak situtation. Oh yeah...you're going to change the water often. I'd forget and get nasty stuff growing... :tongue:


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## crshadow (Sep 4, 2003)

Just for the record, once your tank is set up, if it's still leeching tannin, you can use carbon to remove the tint from the water periodically in between water changes.

-Jeremiah


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