My 20L blackwater

Thanks Yuriy! I'll post some more pics tomorrow. It's hard to get a feel for what the tank actually looks like from that FTS. The baenschi fry are still in the 29. Again, they aren't growing nearly as fast as I want them to, since only some of them seem to show interest in th golden pearls. Whatever, I don't really have the space to raise them intensively yet, so long as they keep producing enough survivors to keep the population up, I'm fine. That male actually is growing in nicely... If only I could get clear shots of these darn fish. These agassiziis may or may not spawn soon, as the female still seems a touch shy. Funnily, the ones in my 10 gallon will probably give me a spawn in a week or so.
 
Gluongirl said:
NICE TANK!!! To Satanpie: Most garden supply stores/ nurseries will sell big bales of spaghnum peat moss. Fill a pillowcase/ nylonstocking, let soak in a tub of changewater for a few days....instant Amazon acid pool. Mix w/ regular tap to achieve your target ph/ KH/GH. Add in slow increments to your tank. Keep a CLOSE eye on PH/ KH keeping in mind that peat will also SOFTEN your water, decreasing the buffering capacity and make the tank more vulnerable to unsafe ph swings. That said, even a tank with >1 degree KH and a ph of uuummm....5'ish... can remain stable with regular maintenance.
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Exactly what the Sphaerichthys vaillanti needs.:)

Rick, your corydoras looks like a Corydoras habrosus to me. They make fine tankmates for gouramis as they do not bother these fish but I haven't tried cories in pH lower than 6 so I really can't ascertain whether they'll be fine or not. If you are unsure to try, try the Pangio. They can handle the pH better most likely.
 
satanpie said:
That is a great looking tank my friend, I am totally into the blackwater thing too, the cichlid in the last pic is great looking! My 75G is supposed to be blackwater too but im having trouble finding peat moss and blackwater extract doesnt last very long for me, what do you use?
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Satanpie, if your climate can permit the Indian almond trees to live, you could grow some and get unlimited supply of Indian almond leaves. Perhaps maple or oak leaves. I don't have problems with these as I live in Asia myself.:)

Edit: I just saw your location. Doesn't NY get winter seasons? This can be the downside.:(
 
Lol Yuriy. If only I had more space, I could raise these babies right...
Satanpie: Apparently oak leaves that have been left to dry on the tree all winter are best since they carry the least risk of pesticide contamination. Picking a fresh leaf and drying it out doesn't work because you don't want all that nasty crap in the sap. The season may be too late to collect dried oak leaves though. Better to stick with the peat for now.
 
Thanks, here are some closeups of both sides of the tank. The crypts were struggling because the tank was lit with a single 3000K spiral cf bulb for a while, but have been makin a slight comeback since the new fixture's been up.

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Tank looks great, how to the plants tend to like the sand? Grow any better than say flourite or eco-complete?
 
Nice tank.
 
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