AllFishNoBrakes

To the best of my knowledge, the answer is no. The only way(s) I know of to remove tannins are with water changes or carbon.

I’ve never used Stratum, and I’ve checked pH like 5 times in the 3+ years I’ve had all my tanks, so I’ll let the Stratum/pH and neocaridina/Caridina experts chime in on that specific piece. But, what I’ve always done for my shrimp tanks, is to let them get “well seasoned” with plenty of algae, seed shrimp, and other fun stuff before adding shrimp. The last shrimp tank I had set up with plants, moss, and floating plants for at least 8 weeks before I added any shrimp. They want to graze all day long, so if they have stuff to graze on (and a “well seasoned” tank gives them that) your chances for success are much higher.

A day late, and a couple dollars (or LFS credits?) short, but that happens sometimes. Met my mom and her husband for dinner last night, so I sped through the maintenance on the tanks yesterday. Water changed everything and reset the air stones. Fertilized. Wrapped everything up, and then headed out. Today my girlfriend had an early appointment, but on the way home we stopped by favorite LFS #2. Cruised around the store and checked out what they had available. Went to buy some Hikari smaller bloodworms, but they were out. Bummer. Favorite LFS #1 wasn’t out of the question since we were already out, and they had the Hikari smaller bloodworms last time I was there, so we cruised on over. They didn’t have the Axelrodi Rasboras, but they did have the bloodworms! Scooped a couple of those up and paid with credit (I love getting stuff and not having anything come out of my bank account), and resisted temptation to bring home some Sparkling Gourami’s. Sparkling Gourami’s is originally what I wanted for the 6 gallon cube, but I think I want the Axelrodi more at this point. Check out the color difference between the 20 long (more mature) blackwater tank, and the still in conversion process 29 gallon tank: 20 long 29 gallon Pretty interesting, at least I think so. Itching to get some fish back in the 6 gallon, and some new fish in the 29. Still undecided on the 29, though. Good thing I have nothing but time!

I like to hatch in the super small tank and start raising them there as it’s super easy for the fry to find food. Same goes for the 10 gallon, more space so they can grow, but super easy to find food. Then, to the big tank, and by that time they can all find all the food and it’s enough space to hold them until selling. When I sell/trade to the LFS I take the biggest 20 each time. This allows the smaller ones to continue to grow out. Then, hit them up and take em another 20. Rinse and repeat.

My Angel eggs get hatched in a 2.5 gallon with a seasoned small ACO sponge filter. Then, they go to a 10 gallon. From there, into 2/3’s of a 55 where they complete grow out until selling. Works for me! Multiple ways to skin a cat.

Behold, our first blue shrimplets: Tiny little spec in the middle of the rock. As I started to look around, I saw a few more. In the initial batch, I think we only got 1 female. Definitely going to make building the colony take longer, but that’s alright. It will be satisfying knowing one little lady was responsible for the whole thing when it’s huge.

That’s what I would do. I agree with this as well. I’ve had my tanks up and running for 3+ years and I’ve tested pH maybe 5 times with the actual liquid test. I rarely use the test strips these days, but when I do I take a peek and go “yup, the same as it’s been for 3 years”. I know my water is lower pH, little to no buffer, and pretty soft. So, I focus on keeping things consistent, and don’t chase numbers the internet tells me I need to have. I keep my environments stable and that has done me very well. Also, I don’t go out purchasing fish that I know prefer the opposite water from what I naturally have as I don’t want to “make” water and again chase numbers the internet tells me I HAVE to have. With a domestic betta, I’ll bet you’d be just fine. Focus on a healthy, stable ecosystem and that should lead you towards success.

@TheSwissAquarist I actually had a mop in with them when they were in the 29. Definitely saw a few eggs, but never pulled them. Honestly put in 0 effort to try to hatch and raise some. Maybe one day, but my life is wild right now lol. I haven’t even hatched an Angel spawn in months.

Another 24 hours later and we’re getting somewhere. Leaves have started to fall to the bottom and release more tannins. From here I’ll probably just continue chucking leaves in weekly. Might reduce the water change slightly, too. For years this tank has gotten 10 gallons every week. Might pull that back to like 7.5 gallons to preserve some of the tannins. Also, this Rainbow was looking dapper: Him and his 3 ladies chillin in the c02 bubbles with the Cardinals.

Do you have live plants? I would suggest not feeding them until you can get some other filtration up and running. If you can take media from the canister into the new filter that would help immensely. Agreed that an air stone could really help. I personally believe that you have more than hours, especially if you stop feeding.

I have those in my 29 that’s currently being converted to a blackwater tank. One of the first fish I bought! They were literally the “canaries in the well” to see if that tank was cycled. They’re pretty rad. Mine have a more highlighted orange stripe and orange eye than the ones pictured. Highly recommend

The shimmy/head shake and slight charge forward to find out who’s top dog is quite funny. “Come at me, bro!” “No, YOU come at ME, bro!”. “Want a piece of this? I don’t think YOU want a piece of THIS”. @Shadow gets it. Just something about Angels and Cardinals.

If you’re talking about the Swords I sent you it definitely would’ve been snail eggs. Angels lay hundreds of eggs in a single spawn. Typically, they choose one of the leaves off the giant mother plant your swords came from. Most definitely snail eggs if there was anything on the plants I sent you. Apologies, but shout out to RR! Cardinals have been great in my tank. They like it warm and get big enough to not fit in their mouths. Plus, it’s hard to mess with the classic red and blue coloration in contrast to plants and the colors of the Angels. Just my $0.02

What up party people? Just your standard Wednesday around here. Got started on the tanks earlier than usual, which means that I finished earlier than usual which felt nice. Wood in the 29 is finally water logged after a week. Got it kinda jammed together. Probably not in its final form, but feels good to have it down in the tank so I can play with it. My girlfriend said she’d help me arrange it next week. The hard part is two of the pieces are wide and since it’s a 29 gallon tank it’s not very big front to back. Might have to snip some branches, and I’m being sure to leave enough space on the left side of the tank so servicing the air stone and sponge filter isn’t a nightmare. Also dumped some liquid tannins in the tank. The past few times I’ve boiled botanicals I’ve ran a longer boil (15 minutes) with a 45 minute steep, and I’ve been collecting the “blackwater tea”. Probably dumped in 4 or 5 oz’s to start getting the tank darker. Also tore up another 3 big Indian Almond Leaves. Tried to not go overboard with the liquid tannins as the leaves will definitely add some more, but I really want the tank to start darkening up! Here’s some pics: The one random orange shrimp is fun! Can definitely make the “scape” more interesting but the goal today was to just get everything that sank in between the plants and get a super rough draft. I can always tinker as we progress. Really starting to dig this blackwater shelf: Cheers, Nerms. Looking forward to continuing to play with the tanks.

The only answer I can really give is, probably? I do 6 in my 55, so +2 in a 75 would probably work? Also depends on the species and how many males and females you end up with. My breeding Panda male is a monster, and both of my females are much smaller. Altums get huge, so it all depends on what you pick and how many males/females you end up with. Now, if you end up with 4 pairs (luck of the draw as juveniles are super hard, if not impossible to sex, and then they’d have to pair up) that could be interesting. Just like anything else, it’s a gamble, and you’ll just have to roll the dice and see if it works for you. Also recommend lots of plants and places to hide, especially as they become breeding age. They might be called “Angels”, but they’re definitely cichlids and they get aggressive when they’re in breeding mode. The other 2 I have that aren’t the pair know to stake out their spot in the plants and just hide away while the pair is actin’ a fool. Would definitely suggest to up the number of Cory’s. I have 15, or maybe 18, in my 55. If it was a 75 I’d be shooting for 15-20, at least. Their behavior as the numbers increases is different than in small groups, and that footprint can definitely provide for a bigger school of Cory’s. I’ve never done oto’s or hillstreams, so I can’t really comment on those specifically.

For sure. Out of the 4 Angels in the 55, 2 of them are a pair. When they lay eggs, I simply remove them. You’ll notice there’s a slate on the left side, but typically they’ll lay on a Sword leaf. At this point, I can tell they’re about to breed, and then when I notice them chasing everyone away from one spot I know they’re guarding eggs. I simply find the eggs, snip the Sword leaf, and dispose of the eggs. Peace typically resumes in the tank the following day.

Here’s my 55 gallon Angel tank I’ve had running for 3 years. Took this picture literally 2 minutes ago right before the lights went out: Currently houses 4 Angels, 4 Dwarf Rainbows, ~15 Cardinal Tetras, and ~15 Albino Cory’s. Ramshorn snails, too. Amazon swords and Jungle Val. Large ACO sponge filter on the left, Fluval HOB on the top right. Used to house 6 Angels. A while back I pulled out my breeding pair of Pandas that formed and put them in their own tank. Currently raising 2 more Pandas (fry I hatched and raised) to add back to the tank. ~30% water change weekly, consistent Easy Green weekly, and root tabs as needed. Overall, Angels are pretty easy in my opinion. I give this tank the same treatment as all my others; consistency. Angels were some of the first fish I got when I started playing with tanks 3 years ago. Fast forward to today, I still have all of them I’ve purchased, plus hundreds of fry I’ve traded to the fish store. If you can handle their pecking and aggressiveness, especially when they’re breeding/guarding eggs you should be fine. An additional 20 gallons would just be the cherry on top for my setup.

I hope the Swords do you well! Can’t wait to see them all grown in

Glad you’re digging the botanicals. Coco petals is the name you were looking for! Welcome to the blackwater life! Maybe one days yours will get as dark and tinted as mine ;)

He’s doing well! He’s super animated and always goes zooming whenever I go into the kitchen where his tank is. He’s definitely been a fun addition and has added life to the tank that sat dormant for a while until I found him. Thanks for asking!

Cichlids gonna cichlid! I agree that any shrimp with angels are a gamble, and most likely not worth the time or money investment. They’re gonna decimate whatever they can.

I love the nano usb air pumps, but they’re not designed for longevity. I used to run tanks with them, but have since updated and upgraded some air pumps and now use the nano USB’s only for my 2.5 gallon tanks for hatching eggs and starting to grow out fry. Those tanks come up and go down as needed so the pumps get some rest time when the tanks are down. I still use one on my Ziss hatchery, too. I buy them on Amazon as you can get multiple for the price of one and keep a back up or two on hand. I love them, just simply wish they would last longer. Hopefully ACO will put their stamp of approval on a different model and bring them under the umbrella at some point.

I’ve never boiled any of my wood, but I’ve definitely soaked it in 5 gallon buckets until it’s waterlogged and goes through the “fungus” phase so it doesn’t have to do that in the tank.

After the initial low dose of tannins here’s where we sit: Not a blackwater tank yet, but definitely got a little dose of tannins. I’m resisting temptation to just pile in more botanicals as the wood hasn’t sank yet, and a gradual change is probably better for the fish. Also don’t want to overdo it as this is a deeper tank with with different lighting. Also, the Pea Puffs were being super cute today: All the snail shells crack me up. Murder Beans just hovering over their previous victims. I figure with my water being so soft, it can’t hurt to leave them in and let them dissolve.

I use the Tetra AP150 to run 4 sponges in 4 different tanks. I have a 4 way metal gang valve directly out from the pump, and then each tank gets one spot on the gang valve. It runs the 55 gallon just fine, that’s on the shelf above the pump, and on the opposite side from the pump. In total, it’s probably an 8’ run with 2’ being down into the tank. I’ve had it for almost 3 years now and it’s still running great. Pro tip: place the pump on a folded up washcloth and it’s virtually silent