I like the look of a black water tank but I am not really interested in lowering my ph. Everything I seem to read says to not try to adjust your ph up or down. I added a glass of black tea to my 40g dwarf cichid and tetra tank and tank does look darker. Would tea lower the ph. Has anyone ever tried this? The darker water is causing my ph test to show an odd result which I think is due to the coloring of the water. I am sure the ph didn't go up from this. The fish seem to be ok and I like the look.
Darkening tank water without lowering pH, tea
- Thread starter jumpin joe fish
- Start date
Well, the darkness of tea is from tannins, same as in natural blackwater and in the commercial blackwater extracts. Tea is acidic, and so it will affect the pH of your tank, depending on how much you added and the buffering capacity of your water.
Are black water lakes basic to begin with? Tannins are acidic no matter how you slice it. I'd imagine all fish that live in black water would prefer lower ph water.
I'm with you... I like the look. It comes at a price though, which is lower pH. I did try tea once. Black tea has caffiene, so you might want to try natural green tea. Brew it, let it cool, etc. It will yield a lighter color than blackwater extract or peat, but it's something at least.
Or, get a new piece of driftwood. Looks good, fish love, and turns the water (an effect most people find undesirable)
Lupin
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I live in the tropics allowing me to pick up unlimited amounts of indian almond leaves without paying a cent at all.:rofl:
:silly: for living in the tropics while I'm stuck in New Jersey and :silly: :silly: for all the free indian almond leaves!