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tanins

soton_dave

Member
Joined
28 Mar 2009
Messages
142
Location
Southampton
after adding a big piece of bogwood to my tank the weekend my water has taken on a brown/orange tinge,i personally like the tinge adds a bit of atmosphere to the tank but was wondering if the colour in the water would have a detrimental effect on the lighting at all.
i wasnt able to soak the wood for any length of time due to the bath being the only place big enough to put it and with a wife and 3 kids it was becoming a chore taking it out and then cleaning the bath out of any soap residue etc.then refilling the bath and putting the wood back every time someone wanted a shower/bath so i decided to just put it in the tank.
i know carbon will help remove the tanins but dont want to use it if its going to remove nutrients etc and like i said i quite like the tinge but thought i'd ask peoples advice on weither it would affect the light at all.

cheers dave

ps.i'll put some pics up in my journel of the new wood tonight :D
 
I`m sure the tannins will filter out the part of the spectrum relating to their colour, but it shouldn`t cause any real problems as far as I know.

Carbon will have a negligible effect on your ferts, so it is available to you if you want to try it. It will only clear the water for the short term though, and the tannins will continue to leach in to your water. For a more long term solution, search for Purigen on UKAPS.

Dave.
 
Hi,
As Dave says, the light will be dimmer, but so what? If you like the look then go for it and dispense with the carbon. After a few months of water changes (assuming this is a carbon enriched tank) the brown will fade and disappear as the tannins are removed.

Cheers,
 
i think i'll see how it goes,like i said i quite like the colour as it gives the tank an atmosphere.

cheers dave
 
I always think that certain tetras like neon and cardinal look their best in subdued lighting and in water that is stained by tannins - their colours look less gaudy.
 
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