South american blackwater Biotope

Sarge_857

Sarge_857

Iam the one under your bed. BOO
Mar 18, 2008
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Saline, MI AKA craphole USA
what do i need (on a small budget) to make my 55 gallon tank a blackwater south american tank? i know i need something for blackwater, i have driftwood.

the tank is gunna have a bunch of cories, danios (not south american but a nice schooling fish) and a bristlenose pleco or 2. if anyone has any suggestions on the stock, lemme know!!
 
Well, for my 55, I have all SA fish, loads of driftwood (mmm...tannins) and SA plants. As soon as fall gets here, I'll be adding some leaf litter as well (mmm...more tannins). Just stick to low light plants, and lots of floating plants so that you can maintain plenty of shade.
 
i have a ton of hornwort, so floaters wont be a problem.
 
Oak leaves are great for tannins on the cheap. However, if your tap water's pH and hardness are high (like mine), it's going to take a lot of tannin-containing material to produce blackwater. You might be better off using half and half tap and RO/DI if that's the case.
 
Notophthalmus said:
Oak leaves are great for tannins on the cheap. However, if your tap water's pH and hardness are high (like mine), it's going to take a lot of tannin-containing material to produce blackwater. You might be better off using half and half tap and RO/DI if that's the case.
Click to expand...

okay i can do oak leaves, lot of them around. wouldnt an extract be better? ive heard mixed reviews on it so.......
 
I agree with jm1212- if you're going to do a biotope, do a biotope! Plants, fish, everything.

Extracts don't have anything you need that oak leaves don't also have, plus leaves are free.
 
Good point, I should've mentioned that. If you don't want North American leaves ruining your biotope, you can put them in a mesh bag and stick them in the filter or somewhere else out of sight.
 
Driftwood and indian almond leaves for me. I'd be wary of collecting oak leaves from highly populated areas, as pollution, pesticides, and fertilizers may be an issue.
 
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