Tannins from.... Sphagnum peat?

[Umbra]

Is it possible to somehow extract tannins from sphagnum peat? I want to get some darkwater in my tank but over here it's impossible to get the stuff needed without importing it. The only readily available thing I have over here is sphagnum peat I use for my carnivorous plants and very often notice tannins leaking out of the soil.

or is it possible to extract tannins from any dried wood?

Thanks for the help

 

[Byron]

All organic matter, such as wood, dried leaves, peat, will leech tannins into the water. But the level depends upon the quantity of the substance and does obviously dissipate over time. Wood for example tends to release tannins more during the first couple of months, then hardly noticeable at all. Dried leaves can be heavy with tannin release, and they are fairly easy to replace--at least for me, here in a northern temperate climate where I can collect bags of dead fallen oak leaves every autumn from the back garden and replace them in the tank every couple of weeks. In my 10g tank used to spawn and rear fry, the water is quite yellowish brown from the leaves. Peat is good for heavy tannins, initially, but it wears out.

You can buy "blackwater" additives. Now, I am not a fan of using any additives unless absolutely necessary, but a blackwater additive I would think would be less concern for fish if it is made from natural substances. Tannins have no detriment to soft water fish. Aside from the tint to the water, other beneficial bacteria will be present.

 

[Demeter32]

I use oak leaves and boil them for a while, then remove the leaves once the water looks nice and dark and concentrate the tannin juice until it will fit into whatever container I choose.

 

[Umbra]

All organic matter, such as wood, dried leaves, peat, will leech tannins into the water. But the level depends upon the quantity of the substance and does obviously dissipate over time. Wood for example tends to release tannins more during the first couple of months, then hardly noticeable at all. Dried leaves can be heavy with tannin release, and they are fairly easy to replace--at least for me, here in a northern temperate climate where I can collect bags of dead fallen oak leaves every autumn from the back garden and replace them in the tank every couple of weeks. In my 10g tank used to spawn and rear fry, the water is quite yellowish brown from the leaves. Peat is good for heavy tannins, initially, but it wears out.

You can buy "blackwater" additives. Now, I am not a fan of using any additives unless absolutely necessary, but a blackwater additive I would think would be less concern for fish if it is made from natural substances. Tannins have no detriment to soft water fish. Aside from the tint to the water, other beneficial bacteria will be present.

as far as I' have seen it's nearly impossible for me to get the blackwater addatives, and other than that I am unsure which leaves are safe to add to my tank. are any leaves safe? or just certain ones?

 

[Umbra]

I use oak leaves and boil them for a while, then remove the leaves once the water looks nice and dark and concentrate the tannin juice until it will fit into whatever container I choose.

oak leaves... I really wonder if there are oaks around here... oh well, I'll take a look for oaks... but I doubt I'll find any

 

[Demeter32]

oh lol sorry I didn't see where you are at! As Byron said, you can pretty much use all types of plant matter,dried moss, peat, wood, leaves etc. People do use the peat moss as well, it will just be kinda messy when you have to strain out all the bits. I say give it a try, make a big "tea bag" out of some cloth and let it soak in a bucket of water for a few days. I think that will work.

P.S Whenever I buy new drift wood I'll boil it for about an hour and then use the juice left over as tannin too, although it isn't really needed as the wood will stain the water on its own.

 

[Byron]

as far as I' have seen it's nearly impossible for me to get the blackwater addatives, and other than that I am unsure which leaves are safe to add to my tank. are any leaves safe? or just certain ones?

Generally, leaves from hardwood trees that are deciduous are safe; oak, beech, maple are some. Avoid any perennial evergreens like rhododendrons, which can be quite toxic. Coniferous trees are bad, trees like pine, cedar, spruce, fir. Same goes for wood...hardwood is usually safe, but soft woods and conifers, never.

You can buy Indian almond leaves in some fish stores or online. Might be expensive compared to collecting.

Edit. I forgot to mention about collecting, should you decide to. Always collect leaves that have fallen from the tree naturally; never pick them off yourself. This is because a dead leaf when it falls from the tree will be empty of any liquids that might cause toxicity. Provided the leaf is dead, not green. Rinse them off, but do not soak as that removes the tannins and beneficial bacteria. Collect them from a clean area, well away from any industrial place or where they might have had pesticides used. I like my back garden, but a wild forest is OK too.

Another thing, dried leaves are excellent fish food. They are used in fry tanks and fry will grow faster with leaves. The leaf produces infusoria as it decomposes, and small fish eat this nutritious food. Snails also like it of course, so when you use leaves you will find snails enjoying them. Grazing fish like farlowella, otos, bristlenose, etc also love feeding from these leaves. I raise cory fry and farlowella fry with just leaves for "food," until they begin to eat prepared foods.