# Is there a way to remove tannins from water but not plant nutrients?



## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Removing Tannins*



pandamonium said:


> I have a blackwater Amazon setup but the wood sometimes leeches a bit too much tannins in the water so my water becomes very murky. The fish love it, it seems but the plants on the bottom don't get much light. Looking for a way to remove some tannins or coloring without removing nutrients. That is keep my water a moderate tea stain, not a pure blackwater haha


Hello pan...

I had issues with tannic acid leaching from driftwood too. I just changed out half the water in the tank every week until the water cleared and dosed my ferts as usual. It didn't take very long for the water to clear, so my plants weren't affected.

Actually, water changes replace nitrates, phosphates and sulfates along with removing the tannins. These are nutrients the plants need. If you're dosing an inexpensive fert and there are a lot of them available, then I don't think your plants will suffer and you won't lose much by dosing your ferts as usual. Simply remove half the old tank water weekly until the water clears.

As always, just a suggestion to consider or not.

B


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

You can consider using a diatom filter to polish the water while leaving the water chemistry largely as is. Haven't seen these in a while but they should still be available.


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## Jmlampert23 (Jul 25, 2012)

You can use Puritan from seachem. It comes in a pack and goes right into the filter. It will clear up the tannins in about a day or so


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Jmlampert23 said:


> You can use Puritan from seachem. It comes in a pack and goes right into the filter. It will clear up the tannins in about a day or so


i believe he meant Purigen. That will totally clear up your water and yes it should keep your ferts for your plants. But I don't think thats the route you want to take since you said you have a Amazon biotope. I would probably just keep up with water changes. It should keep your water black enough for your biotope but wont totally get rid of the tannins. fyi, purigen removes nitrates as well.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

Purigen or carbon will remove tannins with little to no impact on ferts.


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## TwoTacoCombo (Apr 13, 2012)

You can always go get a small HOB filter, load it with purigen, and only use it until you reach the desired level of tannins.


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## oscarsx (Mar 15, 2011)

Will a uv sterilizer work for tannis?

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

^no :/


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Just do water changes more often. You'll find though that there is a reason you don't see many real "planted" blackwater tanks. Really slow growers are what you might see. Anubias and the like.


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## pandamonium (May 14, 2012)

I have looked into purigen and it's all got positive reviews but I dont have any space in my canister to have a "purigen level" so I don't know how effectively I can use it. I may just do water changes until the color balances out. I want the tea color but I also want to have my fish pop in my tank


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

Purigen is great. I would do what the previous poster said and get a cheap hob for Purigen and use it when needed.

Sent from my HTC Evo 4G


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

the wood will stop leaching

at that point. grab Indian almond leaves and leave them untill the desired tint is reached then pull them out. or boil them and make ur own extract that ucan drop in at ur leisure


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## pandamonium (May 14, 2012)

I actually have an HOB now so maybe I can do that. Will that drop my nitrates too low for my plants though? Since a poster here said that it will absorb nitrates? 
And HD I think there are almond leaves in my area so I'll look into getting some of those once my wood stops leeching


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

No. It won't remove all your nitrates. I use it constantly but still have some nitrates. I can actually do a nitrate test to make sure when I get home today

Sent from my HTC Evo 4G


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

pandamonium said:


> I actually have an HOB now so maybe I can do that. Will that drop my nitrates too low for my plants though? Since a poster here said that it will absorb nitrates?
> And HD I think there are almond leaves in my area so I'll look into getting some of those once my wood stops leeching


seachem states it will not remove ur dosed fertilizers. it will remove some of the organic based nitrates though. not all


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## pandamonium (May 14, 2012)

Ok awesome. If I can find the funds for Purigen and if my dad is willing to do it then certainly will! I have that spare HOB as well. Do you just throw it in there? Or do you have to bag it first? Never done this before


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

It needs to be in a bag, but it is also sold prepackaged and ready to use. 

Purigen can be rejuvenated and reused several times.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

Before purigen.








After--->









You'll love it. And it works fast!


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## pandamonium (May 14, 2012)

frrok, that difference is stunning! I would like it to be clear but not too much so. Maybe I should invest in that. Would help the fish brighten up a bit with more lighting.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

pandamonium said:


> frrok, that difference is stunning! I would like it to be clear but not too much so. Maybe I should invest in that. Would help the fish brighten up a bit with more lighting.


Thanks. Yea like I said. It polishes your water. So... You may just want to try water changes first then if it's not enough go with the purigen.


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## pandamonium (May 14, 2012)

I may decide to try it. I got a new lighting fixture today. 36'' 2x39W Odyssea to increase light along with CO2. problem is my floating plants and tannins make it difficult to actually see colors as well as in my 10 gallon tank. I will probably go on the hunt for Purigen tomorrow.


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