Surely This Isn't Right... (Ph)

[Noahsfish]

What works best for me is putting a 5g bucket in the bathtub, letting the water run until it's as hot as it will get than let the wood soak. Once the waters down to room temperature, I replace, which means only a few hours. Or you could boil it, but the pieces I use normally won't fit, and it's kind of weird if you're living with people who aren't into fish...

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Boiling wood isn't recommended. It breaks down the wood fibers. Just soaking it in hot water is enough.

 

[Noahsfish]

Boiling wood isn't recommended. It breaks down the wood fibers. Just soaking it in hot water is enough.

And that's another reason not to boil, it could damage your wood. The only reason boiling would/could be necessary is if you can't risk having any tannins released into your water, or if the wood is particularly nasty, the latter being more easily solved by scrubbing or a long soak.

 

[Metka]

I personally soaked my wood in hot water for about 7or 8 days, changing the water every 24 hours. Its amazing how yellow the water turned for the first 4 or 5 days.
 
This has by no means cured the tannins, but a little bit creates a great effect within the tank - I personally really like the slight yellow tinge.

 

[Madjonny]

I'm happy to have a slight yellow tinge, all I am concerned about now is the extreme decline in PH...
Iv set the tank up wood is in place after washing and soaking it several times, carbon is active.

I'm not going to bother checking anything for a couple of days just let it settle in...

It looks pretty awesome though I must say, just needs a few plants to make the tank a bit more interesting...

Thanks for the help guys, I'll keep you updated...