# 5 gallon blackwater



## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

*update*

Hey, everyone! I haven't been around in a while 'cause I've been busy with school and stuff, but I thought I would post an update. Nothing much has happened with this tank, other than a switch from the minnows to some neon tetras. I had leaf litter for a while, but it all disintegrated and I lost the bag full I saved from the fall. Anyhow, I'm seriously considering adding some plants to it in the near future. Not necessarily continuous with the biotope, just something that would look nice. I really like the look of a nice hair grass carpet or something, any suggestions? Anyways, a couple pics!


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Looks way larger than 5 gallons! What kind of snails are these? I would definitely add some moss or anubias, probably petite, to the wood.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

i would second sampster. UG could also be a possibility as it can grow anywhere and everywhere as long as you give it plenty of CO2 and high lighting.

however i have a question for you: is that just sand? do you have any type of planting substrate? if not, you might have difficulty introducing any type of stem plant as these need some sort of nutrient substrate to grow well.

java fern could be a plant that you can use as well.

i do like the wood...those are some nice pieces.


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## agimlin (Sep 25, 2010)

amphirion said:


> i would second sampster. UG could also be a possibility as it can grow anywhere and everywhere as long as you give it plenty of CO2 and high lighting.
> 
> however i have a question for you: is that just sand? do you have any type of planting substrate? if not, you might have difficulty introducing any type of stem plant as these need some sort of nutrient substrate to grow well.
> 
> ...


i have wisteria in black sand with no nutrient sub. and they grow so fast its unreal but as far as low light goes java moss and fern and anubius sp. wisteria and dwarf hair grass (which would make a good carpet) can grow in lower light conditions also. but after almost 5 months im supprised you still have no plants what so ever.


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## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys!



sampster5000 said:


> Looks way larger than 5 gallons! What kind of snails are these? I would definitely add some moss or anubias, probably petite, to the wood.


Those are red ramshorn snails. 



amphirion said:


> i would second sampster. UG could also be a possibility as it can grow anywhere and everywhere as long as you give it plenty of CO2 and high lighting.
> 
> however i have a question for you: is that just sand? do you have any type of planting substrate? if not, you might have difficulty introducing any type of stem plant as these need some sort of nutrient substrate to grow well.
> 
> ...


Yup, it's just pool filter sand. Would some sort of root tab solve that problem? I do have some fluorite that I could potentially add as a base layer if need be.



agimlin said:


> i have wisteria in black sand with no nutrient sub. and they grow so fast its unreal but as far as low light goes java moss and fern and anubius sp. wisteria and dwarf hair grass (which would make a good carpet) can grow in lower light conditions also. but after almost 5 months im supprised you still have no plants what so ever.


Yeah, for a while I was really happy with the way it looks without plants, and I was sorta nervous about completely ruining any sort of aquascape it might have now. But I'm starting to get kinda bored with it, so I thought plants would be a good way to regain my interest.

Thanks again, everyone, and keep the suggestions coming!


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

You dont NEED a plant substrate but it will for sure help plant growth. Healthy roots are a big plus. At this point I doubt you'll want to re-do your substrate but if you did re-do it, and for sure want the sand look, you could do a plant substrate and then through enough sand on the top to cover. Carpet plants have an easier time rooting on sand.


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

temple said:


> Yup, it's just pool filter sand. Would some sort of root tab solve that problem? I do have some fluorite that I could potentially add as a base layer if need be.


Overtime your substrate might mix up and it might not be attractive. Root tabs would be your best bet.


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## Blue_Ram (Sep 6, 2010)

If you like the sand look you can do it like Amano and many others do. Place the Flourite in the back half of the tank and then have the sand in the front half. You then plant some low growing ground cover and your plants in the flourite and keep the sand bare with no plants.


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## seadreamer (May 6, 2007)

Pretty tank. I love these types of scapes. I'd do patches of anubias on the wood.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

very nice look, you could go w/o any plants and do some leaves on the floor to make it more natural (almond leaves are better looking than out-of-place oak leaves lol, but if you dont have access to them, the w/e appropriate leaves you can get and sterilized.

also if you feel like going plants, might i suggest something that floats and lets down non-green roots? water lettuce or better amazon frogbit. I feel green color in the actual scape itself may interfere a bit with the murky water theme...idk I'm odd lol.

also definitely mix some different shaped rocks and pebbles (they dont need to be round) into that sand, with preferably similar coloring. in few places are you going to find just a sandy bottom w/o stones and such


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## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

thanks everyone for all the suggestions, again

Newman, that's kind of why I haven't put any plants in it yet, because I'm afraid of ruining the blackwater look. The frogbit does look like a great option for both adding plants and keeping that look, I'm looking into it now. Oh, and I think I just might take advantage of the nice weather we're having atm, and go find some rocks


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## Kibblemania1414 (Feb 1, 2011)

niiiiiiiccccccccccceeeee!!!!!!!!!! just put some moss to the driftwood, like flame or java. that would make the neons pop out more.. nice pics!!


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## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments and suggestions, kibblemania.




Newman said:


> very nice look, you could go w/o any plants and do some leaves on the floor to make it more natural (almond leaves are better looking than out-of-place oak leaves lol, but if you dont have access to them, the w/e appropriate leaves you can get and sterilized.
> 
> also if you feel like going plants, might i suggest something that floats and lets down non-green roots? water lettuce or better amazon frogbit. I feel green color in the actual scape itself may interfere a bit with the murky water theme...idk I'm odd lol.
> 
> *also definitely mix some different shaped rocks and pebbles (they dont need to be round) into that sand, with preferably similar coloring.* in few places are you going to find just a sandy bottom w/o stones and such


finally got around to it. 










how do these look? i dont want to throw them in just to find out it looks terrible.










With some of the sand in the tank...


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## Zareth (Dec 13, 2010)

lol its a sand substrate, THROW THEM IN, you can get them out no problem its not like its too deep to reach in!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol ya, just toss em in. they look like they at least semi match the substrate, they should look fine! btw about the leaves, you can shred them to deform the oak leaf's appearance and make it look more natural. you probably dont want to keep the oak leaf shape haha.


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## elliebellie (Jan 28, 2011)

I think intact oak leaves littering the bottom is a beautiful look, but I have never seen shredded leaves, would that look gritty kinda like when they are all crunched up on the road? Either way, oak/IAL, intact or not, the effect of brown leaves is certainly stunning!


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## PaulG (Oct 10, 2010)

Cool! 

For a more accurate look I'd lower the light levels slightly, unless you are planning on plants.

If you can angle the fliter so the water surface breaks a little it gives a nice shimmer effect, like streams of sunlight breaking through the dark water.

I'm working on a 20G blackwater biotope right now. I've used brazil nut pods, savu pods, magnolia leaves and almond leaves. You can get almond leaves on ebay.

Much fun creating these.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

paulg said:


> cool!
> 
> For a more accurate look i'd lower the light levels slightly, unless you are planning on plants.
> 
> ...


+1,000,000


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## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

Yeah, so I threw them in, I'm just so lazy I didn't wanna have to pull 'em all out. I'll post pics later tonight.

Newman, I've never thought about shredding the leaves... I'll have to try it next time I get my hands on some.

PaulG, normally the light is hung about a foot and a half above the tank, I just pull it down to take pictures. Can't wait to see your 20g, I'm always looking for more inspiration!


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## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

So here it is, what do you guys think?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

maybe bury some of them in the sand so theyre just emerging?


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## temple (Sep 7, 2010)

I just did, and it looks pretty good. Thanks again for the advice, newman!

EDIT: so I like the way it looks now, and I just emptied a 20 gallon long to play with, so I think this tank is going to stay pretty much the way it is for now.


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