Please help - my water is turning brown

[bubs]

I have just set up my first tank and have had it running for one week without any fish.

I have a piece of wood and plenty of plants with sand in the bottom. It is a 70 ltr tank.

Each day the water has gradually gone browner and browner. What can I do?

Does anyone know why?

I did a 20% water change yesterday and this has improved it slightly. Does anyone know how long the water will be discoloured?

 

[fraservet]

the wood you have is leaching tannins into the water

it is normally recommended to boil any wood for a long time before adding to your tank, even then it will probably release some tannins.

the wood will go on leaching tannins for up to several months

however, as long as you do regular water changes, the water will gradually get lighter.

tannins do not harm your fish, although they do cause the water composition to change, and if your water is very dark, the plants may not get enough light.

 

[Aquascaper]

IMO remove the wood and boil it for approx. 30 minutes (bring to the boil, simmer, then change the water and boil again, do this about 3 - 4 times). If the wood is too big the fit in a pot just pour boiling water over it in the bath. Leave the wood in a bucket of water to soak, changing the water in the bucket if it gets discoloured, for as long as you can be bothered (or until the water stays clear)
Do a few water changes over the next week to reduce the brown colouring of your tank water and when you put the wood back in the tank the water should stay clear

HTH

 

[bubs]

If I boil up the wood or soak it, am I able to put it straight back into the tank?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Joviella]

Yes.......you can put it straight back into the tank.

 

[bubbs]

just out of interest, how long does it take to soak and get all tannins out?

 

[bubs]

I left the wood in boiling water in the sink and emptied 2 x lots of brown water in a couple of hours.

It's no wonder the tank was not clearing and getting browner and darker. It's no wonder the filter could not cope with it!

Being a beginner I am learning things about the whole system all the time. But why don't the lfs tell me to soak the wood, or better still warn me that the wood does send the water a dirty horrible colour?

Now I've taken the wood out, hopefully the system will sort itself out and I will have a cleaner tank in a few days.

 

[clutterydrawer]

lfs are famously unreliable, if yo ulook around these boards hardly a day goes by without soeone complaining about their lfs

sadly the misinformation they give is often quite serious eg they recommend fish as good for tank which are far too small for the fish. luckily for you you have discovered this, so you know in future always to research stuff yourself rather than jsut trusting the lfs.

one thing i can recomend if you are a beginner is to read the pinned topic in this forum called "Avoiding and Treating New tank syndrome" which explains the process of "cycling" a new tank, something the lfs very rarely informs beginners of. best of luck with your future fishkeeping!