How to sustain black water aquarium

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
šŸ¶ POTM Poll is Open! šŸ¦Ž Click here to Vote! šŸ°

Guyb93

Fish Herder
Fish of the Month šŸŒŸ
Joined
Jul 2, 2020
Messages
1,950
Reaction score
1,388
Location
.
Ok been giving a long hard thought on black water , my tank volume is 500l I would like mild to moderate tannins so Iā€™m assuming Iā€™d have a ph drop from 6.5 to around 4.5-5 , I have multiple questions , my stock is no doubt suited so no worries there but to gain that initial black water with a ph shock is a curiosity, I change 50% weekly so 250l would the water changes just dilute the tannins so they never are in effect and if not how do I keep water changes to the same ph , my tap water is 6.5-7 and I donā€™t want to chemically dose , thirdly best choices of foliage to start the tanning process , also if I add these leaves , bark or what ever to my filter would that be an option rather than loitering the substrate with debris , I know a sump would be ideal just load the sump and done but anybody doing black water in a similar situation
 
Slowly adding tannis to the water, via driftwood or almond leaves would be the best way. Obviously donā€™t just pour the whole bottle in there.

I hear good things about ā€œRooibosā€ herbal tea. Watch some YouTube videos to get an idea of what Iā€™m talking about:
 
I use rooibos leaves when my tank is blackwater. I usually go a couple of months of blackwater and then leave it for a couple of months - no reason it just makes a change :). Lovely rich colour and easy to control the intensity by how much you put in. You can either put the bags in your tank or filter, or boil them up and pour in the water once it has cooled. No impact on pH.
 
Tannins shouldn't change the pH much if at all.
Driftwood works well or you can buy blackwater extract or make your own from boiled leaves.
Tannins reduce the light and make it harder for plants to grow due to lower light levels.
 
Thatā€™s great didnā€™t know it was as easy as making a brew , thanks all
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top