Is this log causing tannin tea water?

[kryten22uk]

I've got a pond with a bog filter and the water is always crystal clear, but I've recently installed a separate water cascade feature, and the water goes progressively tea coloured in as short as a week. I thought that the decorative drift wood I've put in the feature is releasing tannins, given it happens so quickly and there is no other mud or dirt (other than a few leaves). If so, will it slow down and stop releasing?

I completely drained the reservoir and filled with fresh water and the tea colour came back over the week.

This water cascade is there as a water supply for my ferrets, so my main concern is water quality. I tested the PH, and its higher than the tap water or the nearby pond water. Not sure why that happened as I thought tannin reduces pH if anything!

 

[JRS]

Wood will do that, and also leaves. I have had wood in my aquariums releasing tannins for years so it may take a while to decrease on its own. Activated carbon will adsorb it but would be expensive.

The water may be higher pH due to some of the rocks leaching or perhaps the cascade aeration is reducing carbon dioxide levels in the water.

 

[GBBUDD]

Depending where you are it could be from the fires as was my case. The 800 fireside Montreal cause smoke filled skies and when it rained it fell into the pond I got hammered this year from it. My water has always been sparkling clear to see a dime in gravel through 6 feet of water.

 

[kryten22uk]

Depending where you are it could be from the fires as was my case. The 800 fireside Montreal cause smoke filled skies and when it rained it fell into the pond I got hammered this year from it. My water has always been sparkling clear to see a dime in gravel through 6 feet of water.

No fires around here. Not much rain recently either, and the separate pond is still crystal clear, so its something unique to the cascade feature. Gotta be the driftwood I guess, which is gutting as it wasnt cheap but looks great. Its sort of glued in place now with the pond foam but its not a difficult thing to remove. I could just continue to do a complete water change fortnightly until the wood stops/slows leaking but thats a lot of effort. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and redesign such that the wood is out of the water.

 

[Mmathis]

Instead of doing water changes, remove the driftwood and cycle the water through activated charcoal (like in an aquarium filter).

 

[sissy]

you can also bind it with koi clay