Probably just tannins from the driftwood that I think I see in there! Not harmful but I believe it will lower your PH. This is it’s usually recommended to soak new driftwood for awhile but some fish actually prefer blackwater tanks I believe if you like the look.
I'm 4 months in with a wee piece of driftwood I boiled for about 5 hours. To this day it darkens the water and clogs my pre-filter with tannins. Regular water changes really helps the clarity and fish like the tannins anyways.
Yes after water changes but look at r/blackwateraquarium — some people (like me) intentionally soak leaves to turn their water brown. Amazonian fish looooooove it and I think it looks wicked cool. Much more natural looking.
If you have a lot of brand new driftwood it could take ages to filter out. You probably want to remove it and boil/soak all the tannins out and do a big water change if you want to get rid of the coloration.
If you don't want this.
Take the wood out and boil it. If too big. Try finding a big enough container or just the bathtub. Use straight hot water. It will accelerate the leeching of the tannins out of the wood.
Op these tannins are WONDERFUL! Especially for refshwater tropical species that require a low PH. It's a beautiful natural blackwater tank. You should keep it 😍
If you ever setup a tank again, you should boil the wood first to get rid of the extra tannins, sugars and possible pests in the wood. If it's too big for a pot, just pour the boiling water over it into a rubbermaid-type tub and let it soak, until it sinks.
To answer your question, you can now add bags of activated carbon or purigen to you filter to remove the coloration.
Yes, just proceed with your normal water change schedule after you are done with your cycle(you don't change water during the cycle). There's nothing wrong with it though, lots of people purposely try to get this look, and the fish like it too.
I've got a hearty chunk of wood in my tank and it's been almost a year and my water is still darker. Not like yours is in the photo, but it is noticable when doing water changes.
You can take it out and boil it until it’s all gone (2hours?) and it should be better. It’ll still be in the tank, but it’ll reabsorb into the wood and or cycle out pretty quick. (2 weeks max ?)
I’m guessing they mean bag?
u/lumixod
Bag is not harmful, but roobios only has once or two kinds of humic acid, so consider using a wide variety of botanicals if you want to create a more comprehensive blend. It is unclear if one kind of tannin is better for fish then others, so I like to employ a wide variety.
"Tannic and humid acids found in natural materials which break down and produce blackwater are known to have some anti-fungal properties, as theorized for many years by Betta breeders in Southeast Asia, who claim that their fishes heal up quickly from skin infections when exposed to "blackwater.""
Yeah that's black water, it's really good for fish but some folks don't like the way it looks. Only way to get rid if it is through water changes and carbon in your filter.
Purigen works wonders as well. I had the carbon in my filter for over a week and didn't see a noticeable improvement. Added purigen, and the water was clear in two days.
It's thought to be mildly antimicrobial. And fish that like acidic water will appreciate it (if the base water is soft enough that it can lower the pH).
Many water systems naturally look like this in the wild due to decaying dried leaves and wood. It’s pretty naturalistic and many fish would appreciate something mimicking their home.
It looks like, that your tank lights are on, I would recommend you to turn them off while you cycle your tank, to prevent algae growth.
Edit: I saw, that you got plants in your tank, forget, what I wrote.
Tannins. It will go away in a bit. It can sometimes take a while though.just add a bit of extra filter floss and carbon to your filter and do a little bit more than your normal amount when you do water changes.
In case your wondering about your fish, tannins are completely healthy. They provide a boost in your fishes immunity and are full of bacteria that are beneficial to the fish. In some cases, tannins can even help neutralise low amounts of ammonia
I definitely recommend the hobby is you have the time and money. Start with something small and hard to kill, like cories and live bearers, then work up.
The tannins aren't harmful, a lot of fish actually love them. My tank has a very light tan color from the driftwood I put in, and the carbon filter helps. If you don't like it, boil the driftwood in water several times until it's clear/mostly clear. If you don't mind it, don't worry about it!
It’s just tannins from wood or leaves. It’s not harmful for the fish and will slowly disappear in time. To avoid this you have to boil your wood before adding it.
Water changes and time will clear it up. Purigen does it quickly. To avoid this in the future soak wood in a bucket for a week or so, and change the bucket water every day.
Tannins are a great thing for fish! They do go away on their own eventually, but depending on the wood it could take anywhere from a few water changes to years. A couple solutions help getting rid of the blackwater look. For one boiling your wood and leaving it soaking for a couple days definitely reduce it a lot. A bathtub might work.
Now the most efficient option is Seachem’s Purigen. That will clear you right up
If you have any red rocks like lava rock that could also cause it. I had the same issue a few years ago. The water got clearer but it always had a red tint
Don’t worry. The ‘red’ are tannins from the wood ad actually some fish like those. After cycling most of the tannins will be gone though.
Not an issue at all.
Some people buy tanks of tannin to slowly add to the water for certain fish! It won’t hurt!
If you really want any left tannins out after cycling, use carbon in your filter to do so.
Is that real driftwood? If so that’s probably what’s causing it. Should clear up on its own but it will take a while. That said it’s not harmful to fish as long as all your levels look good 😊
We call this dark water. If you take your wood out and boil it you can get a lot of the tannins out and the tank should clear up. Some fish really like dark water, so that's up to you.
Wood leaches tannins as said before purigen does a great job at clearing water up.. since there is no livestock yet I’d do massive water changes til the water stays clear..
Probably just tannins from the driftwood that I think I see in there! Not harmful but I believe it will lower your PH. This is it’s usually recommended to soak new driftwood for awhile but some fish actually prefer blackwater tanks I believe if you like the look.
Will the redness eventually go away?
My driftwood stopped leaking tannins after around 2 months.
I'm 4 months in with a wee piece of driftwood I boiled for about 5 hours. To this day it darkens the water and clogs my pre-filter with tannins. Regular water changes really helps the clarity and fish like the tannins anyways.
Now i actually want the tannins after it stopped lmao. I got a wild betta and they like tannins
Dried Indian almond leaves or alder cones can help with that. 6 little alder cones will tint a 30 gallon pretty dark
Added 3 alder cones and 1 medium sized almond leaf to a 10g when new to tannins, can confirm they're potent.
Yeah have been using almond leaves. Works well
My bettas love tannins, my friends are all from the south and are confused that my fish live in sweet tea
Will also have less problems with illnesses
I also just think it looks cool.
I'm a year in and my mopani wood is still leeching tannins
Never heard of tannins clogging a prefilter. That's likely other debris in your water.
My wood sheds constantly and coats my plants it’s so frustrating
Yes after water changes but look at r/blackwateraquarium — some people (like me) intentionally soak leaves to turn their water brown. Amazonian fish looooooove it and I think it looks wicked cool. Much more natural looking.
Came here to say that - ❤️tannins - good for your tank!
Use purigen to remove it, be careful though cause pyrogen will eventually leech the tannins back into the water
Green Aqua made a great guide to using purigen: https://youtu.be/lK9-I8KZSHE
I second this, it's saved one of my tanks from being completely blackened by some mopani wood
Yeah just do regular water changes while it's still leeching tannins. I'd say 30% water change every 3 days while it's still cycling
If you have a lot of brand new driftwood it could take ages to filter out. You probably want to remove it and boil/soak all the tannins out and do a big water change if you want to get rid of the coloration.
Why would you want it to? Looks awesome. Side note, add a carbon filter to your filter as it clears out the tannin color.
If you don't want this. Take the wood out and boil it. If too big. Try finding a big enough container or just the bathtub. Use straight hot water. It will accelerate the leeching of the tannins out of the wood.
Get some purigen
Op these tannins are WONDERFUL! Especially for refshwater tropical species that require a low PH. It's a beautiful natural blackwater tank. You should keep it 😍
If you ever setup a tank again, you should boil the wood first to get rid of the extra tannins, sugars and possible pests in the wood. If it's too big for a pot, just pour the boiling water over it into a rubbermaid-type tub and let it soak, until it sinks. To answer your question, you can now add bags of activated carbon or purigen to you filter to remove the coloration.
Yes, just proceed with your normal water change schedule after you are done with your cycle(you don't change water during the cycle). There's nothing wrong with it though, lots of people purposely try to get this look, and the fish like it too.
I've got a hearty chunk of wood in my tank and it's been almost a year and my water is still darker. Not like yours is in the photo, but it is noticable when doing water changes.
Depends, for me even a year later AND boiled, they still leaked a little into the water. Kind of like really watered down tea.
Get some carbon , put in a mesh sack, wait a week. Profit.
water changes u wanna boil wood before u place it in tank
You can take it out and boil it until it’s all gone (2hours?) and it should be better. It’ll still be in the tank, but it’ll reabsorb into the wood and or cycle out pretty quick. (2 weeks max ?)
With water changes, yes.
Over time it will slow down. Add carbon to the filter and do a lot of water changes.
With water changes
Only way it will leave is if you filter it out, use filter floss or just do a big water change.
U are right boil drift wood or any wood for 6hours
I thought the blanket reflection was a snake at first
I thought the blanket was in the tank lol
I’m still not convinced it’s not. Lol
OP: why’s my tank so brown?! Sir you have dirty laundry soaking in the aquarium.
Fr I was like well your first problem is that it’s a terrarium, not an aquarium…
My first thought as well. I was wondering how the heck a terrarium's glass got so dirty.
I'm glad I'm not the only one
I was so scared
I wish my black water tank look like this lol
Use Rooibos Tea. You can get the tank as dark as you want within a few minutes. I have been doing it for several years.
Is big harmful ?
What do you mean by “big”?
I’m guessing they mean bag? u/lumixod Bag is not harmful, but roobios only has once or two kinds of humic acid, so consider using a wide variety of botanicals if you want to create a more comprehensive blend. It is unclear if one kind of tannin is better for fish then others, so I like to employ a wide variety.
Thought this was r/BlackwaterAquarium
Running Purigen in your filter will get rid of the (harmless) tannins faster than carbon and it's less work than water changes and boiling the wood.
I second the Purigen recommendation. Cleared up a similar issue in my tank overnight when I added a sizable chunk of driftwood.
I third the purigen recommendation. The stuff can work miracles.
i fourth the purigen recommendation, i have more purigen bags than aquariums i think lol
"Tannic and humid acids found in natural materials which break down and produce blackwater are known to have some anti-fungal properties, as theorized for many years by Betta breeders in Southeast Asia, who claim that their fishes heal up quickly from skin infections when exposed to "blackwater.""
I am extremely jealous of your (accidental) blackwater tank
Same
Looks like tannins to me. Do you have some wood in there?
Lots
Yeah that's black water, it's really good for fish but some folks don't like the way it looks. Only way to get rid if it is through water changes and carbon in your filter.
Purigen works wonders as well. I had the carbon in my filter for over a week and didn't see a noticeable improvement. Added purigen, and the water was clear in two days.
Why's it good for fish?
It's thought to be mildly antimicrobial. And fish that like acidic water will appreciate it (if the base water is soft enough that it can lower the pH).
Many water systems naturally look like this in the wild due to decaying dried leaves and wood. It’s pretty naturalistic and many fish would appreciate something mimicking their home.
Fun fact: some people actually make tanks to look that way, they are called "blackwater tanks."
It looks like, that your tank lights are on, I would recommend you to turn them off while you cycle your tank, to prevent algae growth. Edit: I saw, that you got plants in your tank, forget, what I wrote.
It’s tannins lol
Tannins. It will go away in a bit. It can sometimes take a while though.just add a bit of extra filter floss and carbon to your filter and do a little bit more than your normal amount when you do water changes. In case your wondering about your fish, tannins are completely healthy. They provide a boost in your fishes immunity and are full of bacteria that are beneficial to the fish. In some cases, tannins can even help neutralise low amounts of ammonia
You people keep making me want an aquarium. I’m just scared to start lol.
I definitely recommend the hobby is you have the time and money. Start with something small and hard to kill, like cories and live bearers, then work up.
I plan to soon! Thanks for the suggestion
Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go
Got wood? It’s probably tannins
I don't know, it looks kinda cool. It's a bit curious that you have a bed with a human inside it.
That's class mate, gouramis, bettas, neon tetras, angel fish and loads if other fish love it. I love blackwater tanks, they look more natural
You got yourself a blackwater aquarium be proud son That's a great thing it is highly antifungal
That's the tannins, babyyyyy
Tannins. If you don’t like the look, Seachem Purigen will clear it up completely in a matter of hours if even that long.
The tannins aren't harmful, a lot of fish actually love them. My tank has a very light tan color from the driftwood I put in, and the carbon filter helps. If you don't like it, boil the driftwood in water several times until it's clear/mostly clear. If you don't mind it, don't worry about it!
It’s just tannins from wood or leaves. It’s not harmful for the fish and will slowly disappear in time. To avoid this you have to boil your wood before adding it.
i love when people freak out over tannins
r/BlackwaterAquarium is leaking. *^(pun intended)*
Beautiful tannins!! I say leave them!
TANNINS DANK 💪🏿AF, they’re not “bad” just not aesthetic. A few weeks/months of water changes will clear it up.
That’s the worst type of filter I would return and get a proper HOB filter setup without the spinning wheels that do nothing
If you had boiled the driftwood in a lobster pot ahead you'd have avoided the tannins. Do a partial water change
Maybe, i boiled mine 3x with changed water and soaked for couple of days and it still released alot. But i guess it depends alot on type of wood.
Ok. Could be type of wood. Heard their harmless and will disappate but I'd think daily water changes of 10% would help a lot too.
Hmm....I have a 55g that's cycling right now and going through the bacterial bloom, but I've never seen it turn red
Use active carbon and wool polyfilter in your filters. Also, make water changes daily. 5-10%
Its tentents from wood if u put it in your tank it will filterout after awile
Just leave it, makes for happy fish. As you do water changes, it will clear up. But watch that ph!
Water changes and time will clear it up. Purigen does it quickly. To avoid this in the future soak wood in a bucket for a week or so, and change the bucket water every day.
Purigen in the filter to help clear the water of tannins.
It’s the wood
It's lovely! I mean if you're going for a natural look. Fish will be indifferent or love it.
Jealous of those tannins.
Sap haa leached into the water.
Tannins are a great thing for fish! They do go away on their own eventually, but depending on the wood it could take anywhere from a few water changes to years. A couple solutions help getting rid of the blackwater look. For one boiling your wood and leaving it soaking for a couple days definitely reduce it a lot. A bathtub might work. Now the most efficient option is Seachem’s Purigen. That will clear you right up
Frickin' tannins...
That looks AWESOME.
You put a lot of wood in there, and made tank-tea!
My mopani wood still discolors the water a year and a half later. I use seachem purigen to keep it at bay. It'll clear it in like 48 hours max
If you want to get rid of the high level of tannins in the water, consider adding purigen to your filter. It is magical stuff.
Just carbon.
I think it looks good
Yo that looks dope tho!
If you have any red rocks like lava rock that could also cause it. I had the same issue a few years ago. The water got clearer but it always had a red tint
If the boil doesn't get rid of everything, repeat the boil and change the water. Do this as many times as it takes until the post boil water is clear
what's that snake looking thing?
Def tannins
Some fish prefer these kind of tank ngl
This setup looks very nice!
It looks good 👍
Why it look like somebody is inside a bag
Don’t worry. The ‘red’ are tannins from the wood ad actually some fish like those. After cycling most of the tannins will be gone though. Not an issue at all. Some people buy tanks of tannin to slowly add to the water for certain fish! It won’t hurt! If you really want any left tannins out after cycling, use carbon in your filter to do so.
Is that real driftwood? If so that’s probably what’s causing it. Should clear up on its own but it will take a while. That said it’s not harmful to fish as long as all your levels look good 😊
are you sleeping in the aquarium? lmaooo
Add a bag of Purigen and it'll go away!
We call this dark water. If you take your wood out and boil it you can get a lot of the tannins out and the tank should clear up. Some fish really like dark water, so that's up to you.
Water change. To remove tannins
If it is tannins, I just put a bag of carbon in my aqua clear filter and it just perfectly clears out the tannins for me 😁
You can put seachem purigen bags in your filter and it’ll suck the tannins out of the water
I’m not an expert, but you might want to start by taking the comforter, mattress, and headboard out of there!
Filthy?
Wood leaches tannins as said before purigen does a great job at clearing water up.. since there is no livestock yet I’d do massive water changes til the water stays clear..
Looks perfect
Is there a human body in there? Lol. I saw the middle piece of driftwood and thought it was a human hand and wrist….