Driftwood bleeding

[kadoe]

I have been introducing pieces of drift wood into my tanks and can't seem to get them to stop bleeding. I've soaked them in hot water and salt for a week, then soaked in cold water and they appear to stop bleeding. Once I put them into my tanks, they start bleeding again. Getting to be very annoying and I'm concerned about the affects on my fish.
Any suggestion to get rid of the bleeding??
thanks

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Depending on the type of wood, it is harmless to the fish. May lower your pH but thats about it.

Getting rid of it? Not sure...i've welcomed it everytime in my tanks.

Interesting way of putting it too, bleeding....i like it.

 

[kadoe]

I did not notice the ph lowered, but I really don't like the brown colored water. I'm sure my mollies like it, since it's brackish. But I like a crystal clear tank

 

[homebunnyj]

Run extra carbon in your filters; it helps take out the brown. You can do wc's more frequently to keep it down too. Depending on the type of wood, it could stop leaching so much tannin either pretty soon, or in a few months like mine.

 

[tank_angel]

its just tannins from the wood the wood you have might be a soft wood if it is then it will take a good few months of a few weeks in boiling water to get rid of tannins i used garden driftwood before and it was better for my plecos and such then hard wood and my discus loved it but hard wood like wood bought at a pet store .ect will usually lose tannins in a tank in about 2/3rds of a month with daily 25%water changes if you soak it in boiling water it will lose its tannins in about 2 weeks maby less and will gain more weight if ur not suring a weight to hold down the wood (slate & screw .ect)

 

['-JIN-']

carbon wont help at all.Driftwood come in two types,one is hard and another is soft.Soft will giv out tannins,they are taken from the land forest unlike hard they are taken in the river.So try to think,the hard 1 had been wash by the river water for years and the soft 1 u r just starting to clean it out of tannnins.If u continue using soft driftwood,they keep on giv out tannins for years till they are totally dry dead wood.So if u like to see clear water,make a WC every 4days will help

 

[echoofformless]

Here we go again with someone not liking the brownish water.

I understand it's all a matter of preference, but the brownish water is far more natural and beneficial to the fish and the plants unless the fish are species from hard, alkaline sources.

Unfortunately the mollies are just that. They do prefer a neutral-alkaline pH and water with a rather clear structure.

Yep, this is one of those rare moments where I, Mr. Blackwater will recommend that someone reconsider the driftwood. Yes it will eventually stop leaching the tannins, but you will be changing water and what not for a long time...and though it wont hurt your mollies in any way, it is still not creating a perfectly natural environment for them. Sigh...I'm a naturalist nazi I know...so take me with a grain of salt.

But I would forego it and find something else if I had a molly tank.