Actually the MODs do not become directly involved in deciding that a new member is not a spammer unless they get completely out of hand. The forum software requires that you use the link provided in an e-mail to verify that you are a real person, not a spam-bot. If you are crazy enough to try to manually spam the forum directly, you will be removed rather quickly, usually in less than 24 hours, because you will be reported by the members simply pressing the report button that appears on every page. If you are not a serious member, chances are you will not stick around very long trying to establish an identity. By the software requiring a minimum number of posts before the PM function becomes active, we save many of the members from needing to read spam PMs. All in all, it keeps our personal interference to a minimum which we appreciate and I am sure the members appreciate it as well. Who needs a MOD reading over your shoulder after all?
Jabb3r, black water is a simple reference to water that can be found in South American natural waters. It is often sold as an extract because people have figured out the active chemicals involved in dropping the water's pH to resemble that of those particular waters. If you don't want to buy bottled tannins, simply place almost any wood or even dry leaves into a tank to get almost the same exact effect. I collect oak leaves in my back yard when they drop off the trees in the fall. A nice big bag of dry leaves beats a bottle of tannin extract any time and it is a natural product to boot.
Carbon pellets are useful for removing tannins from the water, just the opposite of establishing black water conditions, or for removing medications after a treatment in your tank or removing odor causing chemicals. In any case, the special circumstances calling for carbon will be well known in advance to the fish keeper. Unless you have a specific need for carbon, the space it would occupy is often better devoted to additional biomedia in the filter. I keep my carbon on the shelf against the day that it may actually be called for in one of my tanks. It can stay there almost indefinitely if I do not find a need for it. Since each new filter seems to arrive with a carbon sample, I have quite a large amount of it available by now with my 26 tanks up and running.
