Kittkat1981 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Ok. I have a 52 gal 36 wide 12 front to back and 24 high. I'm looking to make this a blackwater tank. 3 to 5 discus and a few others. Maybe a small army of pigmy cory 10 or more. I want this tank to be pretty dark. Would someone well versed in blackwater tank give me a checklist? Interwebs has been pretty convoluted on what I will need. I have the tank,stand, air pump and light at this point. What else do I need? Filtration? Substrate? I know I'll have drift wood and anubias to attach to said wood. If I put ADA in, can I have cardina shrimp? Feel add anything you might think I need. I also have other black water questions in the forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 @Streetwise and @MickS77 and others have been very successful with blackwater tanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 You might want to do a little more research. Hopefully this helps. https://youtu.be/KiGE0WfRLRQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Why do you want to make it black water ? Shrimp are fundamentally not compatible with black water; as black water tanks are typically extremely soft and acidic and shrimp prefer some hardness.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 An organic soil tank with big pieces of Mopani wood is a nice way to start a tannin-rich tank. I like 1-1.5 inches of organic topsoil from a local composter, with a modest cap of 2-4 mm gravel. My Homestead journal documents the tank that I setup for my folks. Tannins pair well with hard water, as they drive the pH down, and provide some antibacterial benefits. I’ll do a pH test on my next visit, but I think it drops pH. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 29, 2021 Author Share Posted July 29, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 3:43 PM, anewbie said: Why do you want to make it black water ? Shrimp are fundamentally not compatible with black water; as black water tanks are typically extremely soft and acidic and shrimp prefer some hardness.... Cardina prefer 6 to 7.5 ph with 3 to 6 dkh. And 1 to 3 dgh. also have neo cardina shrimp thriving in another tank I have. Tank numbers are 6.8 ph 3dkh 4 dgh. 80 degrees. I have this tank "dark" but it was originally a very bright and highly planted angel tank. Now. Not so much. The idea for the new tank is to be a darkwater tank set up from the start. Which is something I've never done. I've seen a bunch of dark tanks with no plant life. Havnt seen any that are med hev planted like im wanting to do. Correct me if this isn't possible. And the only reason I argue is because of all the conflicting info I'm finding. IE why I'm here. Lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 https://tanninaquatics.com/blogs/the-tint-1 These guys know their stuff. Read the blog section. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 (edited) On 7/29/2021 at 4:03 PM, Kittkat1981 said: Cardina prefer 6 to 7.5 ph with 3 to 6 dkh. And 1 to 3 dgh. also have neo cardina shrimp thriving in another tank I have. Tank numbers are 6.8 ph 3dkh 4 dgh. 80 degrees. I have this tank "dark" but it was originally a very bright and highly planted angel tank. Now. Not so much. The idea for the new tank is to be a darkwater tank set up from the start. Which is something I've never done. I've seen a bunch of dark tanks with no plant life. Havnt seen any that are med hev planted like im wanting to do. Correct me if this isn't possible. And the only reason I argue is because of all the conflicting info I'm finding. IE why I'm here. Lol blackwater environment typically have kh/gh between 0-1 and ph is frequently below 6; but with such low conductivity the meaning of ph is frequently loss. Edited July 29, 2021 by anewbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 (edited) I’m just thinking out loud here. The ADA soil and the Tannins both lower PH but you could still do Caridina and Corydoras. I think I’d be a little concerned about getting lights to the plants at 24” but you could always do epiphytes higher up. If you’re thinking Pygmy Cories then you could stick with the Nano fish theme and get a big school of Green Neons. Another fish I’m currently interested in is the Gold Clown Barb, a tiny peaceful barb. It would look good flashing around in the dark water and contrast with the neons. Edited July 29, 2021 by Patrick_G 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 4:30 PM, Patrick_G said: I’m just thinking out loud here. The ADA soil and the Tannins both lower PH but you could still do Caridina and Corydoras. I think I’d be a little concerned about getting lights to the plants at 24” but you could always do epiphytes higher up. If you’re thinking Pygmy Cories then you could stick with the Nano fish theme and get a big school of Green Neons. Another fish I’m currently interested in is the Gold Clown Barb, a tiny peaceful barb. It would look good flashing around in the dark water and contrast with the neons. He would have to drop the idea of keeping even one discus as the pygmy prefer cooler waters while discus very hot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Here are some blogs that might help a bit, you'll need to scroll down to get to the next, and so on. https://tanninaquatics.com/blogs/the-tint-1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 29, 2021 Author Share Posted July 29, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 4:30 PM, Patrick_G said: I’m just thinking out loud here. The ADA soil and the Tannins both lower PH but you could still do Caridina and Corydoras. I think I’d be a little concerned about getting lights to the plants at 24” but you could always do epiphytes higher up. If you’re thinking Pygmy Cories then you could stick with the Nano fish theme and get a big school of Green Neons. Another fish I’m currently interested in is the Gold Clown Barb, a tiny peaceful barb. It would look good flashing around in the dark water and contrast with the neons. I posted in another....post... about anubias golden and a few other types low light plants such as crypts and java fern (just an example) and other than the discus the fish are not set 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 You can have dark tannin environments without going below 7.00 pH. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 29, 2021 Author Share Posted July 29, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 5:51 PM, Streetwise said: You can have dark tannin environments without going below 7.00 Mind elaborating? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 The color is not an accurate indicator for anything besides tannins, although it usually suggests a reduction in pH. My photos and test results are in my journals. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 29, 2021 Author Share Posted July 29, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 6:03 PM, Streetwise said: This is probably 7.6 well water, down to maybe 7.4 from tannins and soil. The color is not an accurate indicator for anything besides tannins. Ah. Ok. See i thought the tanic acid (tannins) lowered the ph. But the way this looks its simply just a coloring? I've seen obviously clear low ph tanks. Never seen a above 7.2 dark tank. What are you keeping in there other than what appears to be a fantastic java fern 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 29, 2021 Share Posted July 29, 2021 Tannins do lower the pH a certain amount, but your baseline is your local water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 6:23 PM, Streetwise said: Tannins do lower the pH a certain amount, but your baseline is your local water. This tank was my way of moving outdoor tub inhabitants indoors. I have more Co-Op plants staged for this tank. Thats along the lines of what another post was about. They were worried about kh and gh being wierd (ph low gh high kh low) my well water is 44 gh and 43 dkh out of the ground. Ph is 8.6 ish. I HAD to use ro/di which is 7.0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 6:23 PM, Streetwise said: Tannins do lower the pH a certain amount, but your baseline is your local water. This tank was my way of moving outdoor tub inhabitants indoors. I have more Co-Op plants staged for this tank. The not dark water tank that I turned into dark water. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 @Kittkat1981, that is a beautiful aquarium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 7:48 PM, Streetwise said: @Kittkat1981, that is a beautiful aquarium! Tyvm. Labor of love. The 52 high will be a sight too if. And only if I can get the wood I am wanting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 4:30 PM, Patrick_G said: I’m just thinking out loud here. The ADA soil and the Tannins both lower PH but you could still do Caridina and Corydoras. I think I’d be a little concerned about getting lights to the plants at 24” but you could always do epiphytes higher up. If you’re thinking Pygmy Cories then you could stick with the Nano fish theme and get a big school of Green Neons. Another fish I’m currently interested in is the Gold Clown Barb, a tiny peaceful barb. It would look good flashing around in the dark water and contrast with the neons. While I like the nano fish idea. That tank. I would spend 800 bucks on fish. If nano. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 Could put a few guppies and let them make thousands. Lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted July 30, 2021 Share Posted July 30, 2021 Please make a journal and link it in your signature! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittkat1981 Posted July 30, 2021 Author Share Posted July 30, 2021 On 7/29/2021 at 7:56 PM, Streetwise said: Please make a journal and link it in your signature! 🤔how do I do that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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