My water is still dark

I’ve had my 55 gallon tank for a few months now, I have driftwood, some plants, and eco complete planted tank substrate. I do large water changes on the tank but it always seems to stay dark. My 29 gallon tanks is crystal clear in comparison.




The left is the 55 gallon tank water and the right is the 29.




This side view shows how dark it is.

Please help!

 

It's the wood leaching out tannins. For the most part, tannins are not harmful to fish.

 

If your driftwood is on the larger side it will likely continue to produce that tea-stain colour for a long time. You can try to combat it with more water changes if you really don't like the look of it.

 

I actually wish my tank had that colour. A lot of fish prefer tannin enriched water and you find at least traces in almost every freshwater biome in the wild. If you like, google "blackwater aquarium" and maybe you find you actually like it. I think a lot of the fishes colours are better in dark water.

You could filter with active carbon, but that would also temper with your parameters and also only works until its depleted and has reached it's absorbing capacity.

Or you get the driftwood out again and boil it 2 times at least. Otherwise you could water it for a few weeks and regularly change the water in the bucket or whatever it fits in. There's not much else to do about.

 

I love the look of tannin water, it makes the scene look more natural, here is my 60 gallonwith driftwood and tannin water

 

I had a substrate like that and it turned my water that color after a while, I completely changed the substrate and the water but it did it again soon after, I ended up just keeping my plants in a little container instead of having my tank complete with substrate. I don’t have many plants, they’re small too but my water is better now with less of the substrate.
Not sure if the substrate is your problem but though I’d share.