# 75 gallon Amazon blackwater biotope



## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

75 gallon 48x18x21in 
Temp - 80F 
TDS - 69 ppm
pH - 6.4 (the value of 7.15 came from my poorly calibrated pH meter)
36" Finnex Stingray
48" T5 Sunblaster
Eheim 2217
Fluval 304
Hydor 300w inline heater
Substrate - pool filter sand with a few handfuls of boiled gravel from the creek
Various pieces of wood
40+ Magnolia grandiflora leaves

Stocking list:
7x Marbled hatchets
18x adult Colombian tetras 
7x Sterbai cories 
8x Checkerboard cichlids (Dicrossus filamentosus)


Plants - Hydrocotyle leucocephala

**latest pics, post #72*
*new video, post #86**

3/11/16









3/19/16


















3/28/16



















5/16/16



















This is my second blackwater setup, the first was a 17g Mr. Aqua that housed some tetras, cories and rams. I wanted to try the same thing on a larger scale and throw in some different dwarf cichlids; Checkerboard cichlids caught my eye. I wanted something other than 3 shoals of tetras, so hatchets and pencilfish were also on my list. I haven't had much luck adding fish, there has been about a 50% death rate when I introduce new ones. The ones that do survive seem healthy though. The Colombian tetras have spawned at least twice and there's been a decent survival rate among the fry. I'd like to throw some more Sterbais in there and get them spawning too.

You can see in the second pic that I had about a billion leaves in the tank, I had to take about half of them. The water was getting really dark and light penetration was minimal. The few swords I had in there started withering away, so I took them out. The lighting was a Finnex 36" Stingray and I added a 24" double T5 fixture to add some more light, but it wasn't enough. So I replaced 24" fixture with a 48" Sunblaster and now the light levels look decent to my eye. The pennywort has really taken off...finally.

The pH was oddly high for the longest time, I really couldn't figure out why. The wood and leaves are leaching tannins and the water is fairly soft. I know stable pH is more important than matching native pH levels, but I'm striving for authenticity. pH should come down as the TDS levels drop. The water is AWESOME here (Greenville, SC) for these types of tanks - 20ppm out of the tap. Tampa was 250+! I'm doing weekly water changes of 10-15 gallons to reach a goal of 50ppm.

Once I add the checkerboards and 4 more Sterbais, I'll see how crowded the tank looks. In 4-5 months, I'm going to have a school of 25+ adult Colombians swimming around, so that might rule out the pencilfish.


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## NotCousteau (Sep 25, 2014)

Beautiful setup! I love all the leaves, actually. I have a much less impressive 10 gallon that's set up similarly, but with Asian fish. I think the spare, simple look is nice. Maintenance/upkeep is such a breeze, too.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Thanks, I might grab 10-15 more leaves to throw in. I did like the leaf covered bottom look, but it made the water SO dark. The cories really like zooming around among the leaf litter too.


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## toadpher (May 25, 2015)

I love those Columbian tetras! I'm looking at getting a school myself. Love the blackwater look!


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Looks awesome. Totally addicted to blackwater setups myself.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

toadpher said:


> I love those Columbian tetras! I'm looking at getting a school myself. Love the blackwater look!


I had about 6 of them in a planted 55g a long time ago and I liked how active they were. They look a lot less wimpy than the average tetra too. I just can't believe they bred _and_ that any eggs survived with the cories hoovering over every grain of sand in the tank.



AdamTill said:


> Looks awesome. Totally addicted to blackwater setups myself.


Thanks. I was really debating doing a clearwater Geophagus set up with a shoal of Biotodoma cupido, but eh, maybe next time.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

Great tank, love the look of the dark water too. Some nice pics of the fish too.

I have a 75g geo tapajos with lemon tetras biotope-ish which is 3 months old


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

How are the Magnolia leaves holding up? 

(I have a Magnolia, this would be a great use for some of the leaves... I know there has been no pesticide sprayed on them!)


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## nel (Jan 23, 2016)

Get more corys! And more, and more :-D love sterbai corys. I was using magnolia leaves for some time - they're not as good as oak, but working as well.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Black water typically is almost plantless, I think largely due to the dark water, you are also missing out on the natural coat of mulm over everything , nothing a bit of neglect can't fix.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Nordic said:


> Black water typically is almost plantless, I think largely due to the dark water, you are also missing out on the natural coat of mulm over everything , nothing a bit of neglect can't fix.


Almost no nutrients in the water too.

Op - have you seen these folks? All - Tannin Aquatics


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I use Rooibos tea bags when I want to add tannins, it is also antibiotic.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Diana said:


> How are the Magnolia leaves holding up?
> 
> (I have a Magnolia, this would be a great use for some of the leaves... I know there has been no pesticide sprayed on them!)


I try to grab thick and sturdy leaves and they can last about 3 months in one piece, if undisturbed. It'll be 2-3 more months before they totally break down. I prefer them over oak; oak looks too familiar, not exotic enough.



Nordic said:


> Black water typically is almost plantless, I think largely due to the dark water, you are also missing out on the natural coat of mulm over everything , nothing a bit of neglect can't fix.


I think floating plants might be biotope correct, large swords wouldn't be. And the java fern is just totally wrong. I'm sure there's a good layer of detritus under the logs and branches and the water is never truly clear. 



AdamTill said:


> Almost no nutrients in the water too.
> 
> Op - have you seen these folks? All - Tannin Aquatics


Nutrient deficiency is what I'm aiming for, which won't help any of the plants. Swords honestly may not do well at all. The pennywort is going nuts though.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I live next to a tannic stream, the trees lining the water absorb lots of excess nutrients, so do brambles and fast growing reeds.
But up in the mountain where the water comes from is just granite and rocks.

If I were you, I'd start collecting rain water. it is possibly the closest thing.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

My tap water is extremely soft, 20ppm on the TDS meter. Rain water would be better still, but probably not worth the trouble of collecting it. 

My fish seemed extra active after the last water change, I wonder if I'm getting the water into some magical softness and/or pH range they like.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I have found even with our hardish water I could get neon tetras to spawn within a day or so by adding river sand to the tank... the eggs would just always mold over. Never raised enough to make it worth the effort.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Looking great!


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

I'm looking to pick up either 8 Dicrossus filamentosus or 8 Dicrossus maculatus possibly next week. The D. filamentosus are wild caught, so I wanted to check my water parameters to make sure they were ideal. My inexpensive pH meter (which I calibrated with the enclosed solution packets and distilled water) said 6.95. Hey, the pH is finally creeping into the acidic range...finally. Let me double check that with my API testing kit...it comes out to be 6.4. I have my wife triple check it, yup, 6.4. 

I'm inclined to believe the API test over the crappy pH meter, because with the low TDS and high amount of tannins in the water, a range somewhere in the mid 6s just makes more sense. 

I tested the GH/KH as well:
GH - 2
KH - 1 

Everything looks good, the pH is finally where I think it should be.


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## sfshrimp (May 24, 2016)

*lipton*

What about lipton tea? Would that work or would it kill everything?



Nordic said:


> I use Rooibos tea bags when I want to add tannins, it is also antibiotic.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

No, Rooibos is a South African tea, it is very much different to the earl greys of the world, and contains no caffeine.
You will find it in many health products due to its medicinal uses. You might find it at a health shop. just make sure it is plain organic rooibos (red bush).


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Rooibos is naturally caffeine free, which is what makes it safe or maybe _safer, _than caffeinated regular Lipton tea. If you want to make your water dark and acidic, you can always grab some organic peat moss without any added fertilizers and boil some up, then filter out the solids. Instant blackwater extract.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

This is awesome... where are you getting the leaves??


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

number1sixerfan said:


> This is awesome... where are you getting the leaves??


Thanks. There's a bunch of Magnolia trees (_Magnolia grandiflora_) around my apartment. I found some huge leaves the other day, about 14" long I'd say. I just rinse them off in cold water, rub off the dirt and grime and chuck them in the tank. They take 2-4 days to sink and then they last for months and months. The cories are quick to investigate any new leaves that make it to the bottom.

I decided on 8 D. filamentosus from The Wet Spot in Portland. They'll get to me on Wed.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I have peat moss, but the tea bags are more predictable. Also it allows incremental and repeatable dosage
On the 50L tanks I use 2 bags, and it is easy to do 50% water change and just add another bag to get back to previous levels.
It acts pretty fast too, and is the best tasting tea in the world.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Nordic said:


> It acts pretty fast too, and is the best tasting tea in the world.


Especially after steeping Rams for a few days. :laugh2::laugh2:


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## abaker1961 (Jan 29, 2016)

Very cool tank, your fish are showing some gorgeous color.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

I love the biotope idea! looks great!


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

I just added 5 more C. sterbai. No pics because they're still skittish and a little stressed. Last time I added sterbais, I did a lengthy acclimation, maybe 90 min or so and then lost 4 of the 8 I bought. The time, I floated the bag for 20-25 minutes, added them to a tupperware container with an equal amount of tank water, let them chill for 5 minutes and then netted them out and into the tank (I know, I know, I should set up a quarantine tank). I was hoping to minimize their exposure to ammonia and the Corydoras stress toxin. Of course, I want all 5 to survive, but if only 2-3 make it, I won't be surprised. 

Interesting discussion about C. sterbai - Corydoras sterbai Shipping problems with adults - PlanetCatfish.com
"_I will never bother with Corydoras sterbai again. They are just too risky._" If these guys don't make it, I might have to give up too.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

I never had much success with sterbais, to the point where I almost gave up on cories entirely. They hid ALL the time, and unless I looked at each of them they'd get finrot or some other fuzz causing disease and die. No other fish ever cause me as much trouble.

My pygmaeus are now breeding like crazy, so I don't think it's my setups.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

These sterbais are a little skittish, if I approach the tank too quickly, they scatter, but always come back out. I _think_ the 5 new guys are still alive; I don't see any bodies and I think I've made visual contact with all of them. They do seem a little agitated still, swimming up and down the glass and breathing heavily when they finally stop. But they are being active and social, and I saw them eat, so I hope they'll do OK. 

I got my 8 checkerboards in this morning, all look good. After a 40 minute acclimation, they got netted in and immediately began prowling all along the wood. They looked right at home, unlike the new sterbais, who looked like they were all about to have a stroke. The Colombians look HUGE compared to these little guys. I've witnessed the smallest checkerboads dive bomb into the leaves to escape the curious nips of the biggest Colombians. I was worried about getting the checkerboards to eat since they were wild caught, but I scattered some tiny flake crumbs around the tank, and they were interested in pecking at the floating particles. The hard part will be getting food past the ravenous legion of tetras.

I'll post up some pictures sometime tonight...


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Given that I imagine that every time they're spooked they release a dose of toxin, it sort of makes sense that this would build up in the tank water until it became toxic. That explains a lot of my past experience!


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

6/1/16

















The Colombian lurking in the background shows how small these guys are.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Neat photos!


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Man, these checkerboards are tiny. Even frozen brine shrimp are proving to be a challenge for them. The mysis shrimp will definitely be too big. Maybe...a quick trip through the food processor?


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

Frozen baby brine shrimp, maybe?


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

randym said:


> Frozen baby brine shrimp, maybe?


That's probably the smart thing to do...making a mess in the food processor isn't. 

The cories seem very excited that I added some more homies to hang out with. They get into moods where they all swim around the tank together. It almost seems like they're having fun. 

I imagine they're like:
"Hey, lets swim up and down the glass!"
"Yeah!!!"
<swimswimswimswim>

"Hey, let's smell this wood!"
"Yeah!!!"
<smellsmellsmellsmell>



















In other non-exciting news, I moved my filter intakes/returns. I had the Fluval surface return and the Eheim spraybar (vertically down towards the sand) and one side and the intakes on the other. It always seemed like there was a decent amount of particulate matter just hanging in the water, not going anywhere. Now I have the Fluval return in the left corner, with the Fluval intake to the right of it and the Eheim intake in the right corner, with the spraybar to the left of it. The water seems to be moving in a more defined direction now.


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

Nice pics.

Corys are adorable. So playful.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Beautiful! Those checkerboards are amazing little fish.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Wow! It really pops out the colors of the fish. Is it really as black as it looks? What is the PH?


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

The Corys look playful as ever. Great shots! 

Also, I found some leaves on the way home the other day that look similar to yours. I soaked them in water with a bit of excel and lightly scrubbed them. Did it take them long to sink for you? 

Mine are still floating. I'm not doing blackwater, so it may not look as nice as it does in your tank. If not, I'll remove them.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Hilde said:


> Wow! It really pops out the colors of the fish. Is it really as black as it looks? What is the PH?


The water looks darker in photos. It's a nice amber color, not too dark, but you can definitely notice a visibility difference when looking at a fish towards the back of the tank versus it being up front. Taking photos is a brightly lit tank running Purigen is a lot easier than a moderately lit tank with stained water. 

The pH is somewhere around 6.5. The checkerboards might like it lower than that, so I'll see if I can get it down to about 6.0 or so.

Bump:


number1sixerfan said:


> The Corys look playful as ever. Great shots!
> 
> Also, I found some leaves on the way home the other day that look similar to yours. I soaked them in water with a bit of excel and lightly scrubbed them. Did it take them long to sink for you?
> 
> Mine are still floating. I'm not doing blackwater, so it may not look as nice as it does in your tank. If not, I'll remove them.


Just to be safe, I would try to find out what kind of leaves you found. I have no idea if Magnolias grow out in CA. 

Leaves take about 2-4 days to sink in my tank. Sometimes they grow some mucky white fungus on them too, it disappears quickly though.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

You could use oak leaves too. I use rooibos tea for my spawning tanks for fish that spawn/develop better eggs at lower pH. It keeps things clean of hidden pathogens and critters and is a mild antibiotic. I can mix new water and dose the exact number of teabags again to keep things consistent.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

doinkmobb said:


> Bump:
> 
> Just to be safe, I would try to find out what kind of leaves you found. I have no idea if Magnolias grow out in CA.
> 
> Leaves take about 2-4 days to sink in my tank. Sometimes they grow some mucky white fungus on them too, it disappears quickly though.


Yea makes sense. I'll definitely find out. I'll take a pic of the tree and go from there. I literally was just walking and saw a ton of them on the ground and thought of this thread lol

Thanks for the advice!


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

AdamTill said:


> Given that I imagine that every time they're spooked they release a dose of toxin, it sort of makes sense that this would build up in the tank water until it became toxic. That explains a lot of my past experience!


No, they are reported to poison themselves, not the water. I.e. if something ate them, it would die and no longer pose a threat to the community.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Nordic said:


> No, they are reported to poison themselves, not the water. I.e. if something ate them, it would die and no longer pose a threat to the community.


Not what I've heard...it's a water issue:
Corydoras sterbai Shipping problems with adults - PlanetCatfish.com

Also in this video:
Packing & Shipping Corydoras Catfish ? Part 1 | Ted's Fishroom
Ted demonstrates kicking a bucket of fish a few times then changing the water before shipping to avoid them poisoning themselves.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

AdamTill said:


> Not what I've heard...it's a water issue:
> Corydoras sterbai Shipping problems with adults - PlanetCatfish.com


Amazing how long one can have a story by the wrong leg sometimes.

I got this off aquariumwiki



> *Self-Poisoning*
> A rare but recorded event is that at least some some species of Corys appear to be capable of releasing a poisonous mucus from its gills when alarmed which causes itself and other fish in confined volumes of water to rapidly die. Species believed to show this trait are C. adolfoi, C. arcuatus, C. melini, C. metae, C. panda, C. robineae', C. rabauti, C. atropersonatus, C. sterbai and C. trilineatus. This ability is poorly researched and other Corydoras species may be affected.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

> *Self-Poisoning*
> A rare but recorded event is that at least some some species of Corys appear to be capable of releasing a poisonous mucus from its gills when alarmed which causes itself *and other fish* in confined volumes of water to rapidly die. Species believed to show this trait are C. adolfoi, C. arcuatus, C. melini, C. metae, C. panda, C. robineae', C. rabauti, C. atropersonatus, C. sterbai and C. trilineatus. This ability is poorly researched and other Corydoras species may be affected.


If it was just poisoning itself, how or why would other fish die? If other fish are affected by it, it has to be released into the water, right?

I'm happy to say that after 6 days, all my new cories are still alive. It's a shame that's a record for me.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

The spines they have are a one prey/one predator defensive mechanism. Maybe the two concepts got confused?

I just got some brochis splendens and the salesperson still got jabbed despite my gentle warning.

Bump:


doinkmobb said:


> If it was just poisoning itself, how or why would other fish die? If other fish are affected by it, it has to be released into the water, right?
> 
> I'm happy to say that after 6 days, all my new cories are still alive. It's a shame that's a record for me.


Congrats! I feel your pain. This thread inspired me to try corys (or brochis, technically) again, if that makes you feel better.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Swimmer impaled by catfish while swimming | News | Practical Fishkeeping


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## jaymyess (May 13, 2016)

AdamTill said:


> Looks awesome. Totally addicted to blackwater setups myself.


Me too. It's my current favourite setup. It just look so natural.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

jaymyess said:


> Me too. It's my current favourite setup. It just look so natural.


I'm setting up my Mr. Aqua 17g again and the water is now stained almost ruby red from some wood soaking in it. It looks perfect as a blackwater set up right now, but eh, I want to try something else.


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## Gotcha38 (Apr 13, 2010)

Your tank looks great. It's so nice to see other people from SC on here.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Gotcha38 said:


> Your tank looks great. It's so nice to see other people from SC on here.


Thanks. I didn't know this before I moved here, but the water is absolutely perfect for soft water species.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Here are pictures:









This is the view from my desk. 




























These guys are still the smallest fish in the tank. I'm just barely starting to see some color on the biggest individuals under certain angles. 

I kinda made a mistake this past weekend - I made a blackwater extract slurry, by putting a ton of washed Magnolia leaves in the blender and straining out the black goodness. I then put the ground up leaves in my French press, added some boiling water and got some more inky, opaque water. Cool. I added about 300-400mL and stopped there, because I liked the hue the water took on. I then tested the pH and TDS just because...no discernible change.

The next morning, a ton of snails were marching up the glass, trying to escape the water. The fish were all looking not amused and not very active. Craaaaaap. Emergency 25 gallon water change GO! I saved a portion of the tainted water to test, but nothing looked out of whack. I waited a few days and then added 50mL of the extract and made sure to watch the fish over the course of a few hours to see if there were any effects...nothing this time. I don't know, maybe the dosage was too high? I've been chucking these leaves in the tank for months and months now and have never noticed any problems.


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

you shouldn't add to many tannins at once, it drops the pH and hardness


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## jaymyess (May 13, 2016)

doinkmobb said:


> ... I want to try something else.


What do you have in mind? Another tank setup that I love is mangrove-brackish.

BTW, your Tetras look like mini Piranhas which is cool. Again I love the look if your tank especially the colour gradation from green at the top to dark orange at the bottom.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

r45t4m4n said:


> you shouldn't add to many tannins at once, it drops the pH and hardness


It's weird, I tested the water right after I added the leafy juice and the pH didn't budge. I even tested it the next day when the fish were unhappy, and it was within the normal range. The water is around gh/kh of 1-2, it can't drop much lower. 



jaymyess said:


> What do you have in mind? Another tank setup that I love is mangrove-brackish.
> 
> BTW, your Tetras look like mini Piranhas which is cool. Again I love the look if your tank especially the colour gradation from green at the top to dark orange at the bottom.


I'd like water I can see into - meaning Purigen. And some low maintenance plants like crypts, moss, java fern. Just something with crystal clear water and a lot of green-ness. I was thinking of contrasting that with some bluish fish and red shrimp. 

They eat like piranhas too, they are ridiculous. I'm not sure how I'll handle 20 full grown Colombians, as far as feeding. Five adults and 13+ juveniles demolish everything that hits the water.


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## finfan (Jun 16, 2008)

Really love your set up. I had these checkerboards before and they even spawned for me. They can color up very nicely. I am a big fan of these, but not always available in LFS.







.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

finfan said:


> Really love your set up. I had these checkerboards before and they even spawned for me. They can color up very nicely. I am a big fan of these, but not always available in LFS.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks. I was thinking about doing a few trios of some easier Apistos, but I wanted less bloodshed (I've _heard_ checkerboards are fairly non-insane during breeding) and my water is soft enough to support some of the more difficult species. 

I got 8 fish and two are definitely males, a third one might potentially be a male. So the sex ratio would either be 2:6 or 3:5 M:F, which should work. I'm glad it's not the other way.

This guy started getting points on his tail first.









This guy just started getting a noticeable protrusion from his tail.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Good luck!

Do you mind my asking what your water maintenance routine involves?

Any issues keeping the ammonium under control? Guessing nitrates aren't really there.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

Tank still looks really, really good. How often do you have to add more tannins?


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

AdamTill said:


> Good luck!
> 
> Do you mind my asking what your water maintenance routine involves?
> 
> Any issues keeping the ammonium under control? Guessing nitrates aren't really there.


I take measurements with my TDS meter and pH meter every couple days, I write down the results in a log...I'm sure the average person would think that's a bit much, but it helps me track trends. 

When the TDS hits 70, I change out 2-3 buckets of water (Home depot 5 gal), then test again. A water change might be every 7-10 days, depending on if I do a top off. The pH is dropping (around 6.2 now) and my understanding is that acidic water will actually keep the TDS low or even reduce it, due to the fact that excess H ions bond to metals like Ca and Mg, precipitating them out of the water. 

Due to the frequent water changes, having an Eheim 2217 and a Fluval 304 running and having a decent plant mass, I don't expect to see anything show up on ammonia, nitrite/nitrate tests. The tetras eat a truly insane amount of food for how small they are, but their waste isn't affecting the water quality that I can tell.

Bump:


number1sixerfan said:


> Tank still looks really, really good. How often do you have to add more tannins?


I haven't put any leaves in recently, but I threw in a branch that had been soaking for about two weeks. It still had a lot of tannins left in it, because it definitely made the water darker. When I look in through the side of the tank and can barely see halfway, I know the tannin levels are where I want them. 

It's hard to get a good picture to convey what it really looks like. Either the bright spots get blown out or the dark areas don't show up at all.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Oh yeah, wanted to share this too. This cat LOVES when I open the canopy, she runs downstairs, jumps up on the tank and gives me Headbutts of Appreciation for giving her access to delicious fish water. 

She's all black but has a ghoulish green-gray glow from the light reflecting off the floating pennywort.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Thanks! Doesn't seem like overkill to me. Doing anything for the plants at all?

Lol, my cats make me mental about water too. My wife runs the taps for them, so they think any moving water is amazing. They can get to the back of my sump, so I try not to think about how much they drink out of that lol


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

AdamTill said:


> Thanks! Doesn't seem like overkill to me. Doing anything for the plants at all?


Nope, in fact, I'm constantly trying to reduce nutrients in the tank, but the pennywort is growing like crazy. I might put some trimmings up for sale soon.


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

*Nevermind, way late to this party, OP please feel free if you like*


OP what to you is blackwater?

ph, kh, gh, nutrient content, soil?sand?

can you please elaborate?

I have a upccoming tank i want to go blackwater for different purposes other than yours but still.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

It seems to me that blackwater environments are defined by low pH, low or nonexistent TDS levels, no hardness, little flow, subdued light levels and a lot of tannins from leaves and branches. A silty sand might replicate the environment better, but would compact and get stirred up easily; pool filter sand in the home aquarium is a better substitute. 

You might have to resort to RO/DI water if your tap water comes out on the hard side. It depends on how crazy you want to get.


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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Blackwater means different things to different people. 

One member on here saw my journal (water dark enough to not see across, TDS<100) and said it wasn't "real" blackwater because the pH was above 5.

To other people, mildly tinted sans Purigen is blackwater.

I couldn't find a soil locally that didn't crank the KH way up, so that's why I use pure peat and a skim of neutral play sand.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

The males are starting to look spectacular.




































I caught the least developed male yawning.









All the males with a tiny female.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Awesome pics! Can't wait to see the fry pics, sooner or later.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

longgonedaddy said:


> Awesome pics! Can't wait to see the fry pics, sooner or later.


Thanks. I'm hoping I get some fry, I'd be a little surprised if I didn't. I've got a 3:5 M:F ratio, the water parameters are decent (TDS = 70ppm, pH 5.7) and there's a lot of leaf litter for cover. 

The only problem would be fending off the Colombians, they're really insane when it comes to food, fry would be an easy snack. I dropped two little crickets in the tank last night and the Colombians went _berserk_, attacking the cricket, attacking each other, chasing the hatchets. Like full on mini piranha mode.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

It's been a while. 

All the tetras are fully grown, I'm pretty sure there's 18 mini piranhas now. Hatchets are still kicking along, I lost two cories (I think?) and the checkerboards are still doing great. The only plant in there now is the Brazilian pennywort - it will not stop growing. I have to trim it constantly. They even dropped shoots down the back of the tank into the stand.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Looking good! Have the checkerboards spawned?


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## [email protected] (Dec 31, 2016)

Hi sorry new to your post. Tank looks amazing!! What are these fish










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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

longgonedaddy said:


> Looking good! Have the checkerboards spawned?


I saw eggs once, a while ago, but no babies. There is always a lot of displaying going on though.



[email protected] said:


> Hi sorry new to your post. Tank looks amazing!! What are these fish
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. Those are _Dicrossus filamentosus_, lyretail checkerboard cichlids. In that shot, those are three males following a female.


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## [email protected] (Dec 31, 2016)

doinkmobb said:


> I saw eggs once, a while ago, but no babies. There is always a lot of displaying going on though.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. Those are _Dicrossus filamentosus_, lyretail checkerboard cichlids. In that shot, those are three males following a female.




Look fantastic you got any videos? 


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Look fantastic you got any videos?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No videos, but I've thought about taking some. The tank is dim so lighting might be difficult.


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## [email protected] (Dec 31, 2016)

doinkmobb said:


> No videos, but I've thought about taking some. The tank is dim so lighting might be difficult.




What are they like with other fish? Like tetra? 


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

your tank is absolutely gorgeous!  idk how I haven't seen this thread sooner... Ive always been a fan of blackwater tanks since they look insanely natural and I hear are always very rewarding with hidden life. Anyway, again beautiful tank and subbed


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

This tank is so dang good.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> What are they like with other fish? Like tetra?


They don't bother anybody, the Colombians are actually bigger and more boisterous. I've seen females chase away fish from a potential spawning site, but they're so tiny, they couldn't possibly do any damage.

*BettaBettas *&* Opare* - thanks! Blackwater is fun and rewarding, and it's a challenge to make it look authentically messy and natural. Plus, I think the fish are happier this way.


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## Grendel (Jan 17, 2003)

Wow! Love this tank - very similar to what I'm looking to achieve. And your checkerboards look AWESOME!


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## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

Woah, this is awesome!

I had no clue that you could use magnolia leaves in a tank to release tannins in to your tank... I have a Magnolia grandiflora in my back yard, and now I want to try this out! Can you just pick the dry leaves off the ground and stick them in your tank?


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Iwagumist said:


> Woah, this is awesome!
> 
> I had no clue that you could use magnolia leaves in a tank to release tannins in to your tank... I have a Magnolia grandiflora in my back yard, and now I want to try this out! Can you just pick the dry leaves off the ground and stick them in your tank?


Thanks.
Yeah, I just pick up the driest, sturdiest, cleanest looking leaves I can find. If it bends without crackling, it's not dry enough. Then I just rinse them off and rub each one clean with my fingertips - no bleach or boiling or anything like that. They take 3-4 days to sink and then they last for 2-3 months, if not more.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

doinkmobb said:


> Thanks.
> Yeah, I just pick up the driest, sturdiest, cleanest looking leaves I can find. If it bends without crackling, it's not dry enough. Then I just rinse them off and rub each one clean with my fingertips - no bleach or boiling or anything like that. They take 3-4 days to sink and then they last for 2-3 months, if not more.


I've found the magnolias to be the longest-duration leaves in my tank. I'm jealous of you for having easy access. Then again, I have lots of oak.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Here's 1 minute long video of my tank. It's no BBC documentary, but good enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQXAHsdUXXQ


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

I knew this would happen sooner or later, but this tank is going bye bye soon. We're closing on a house in a couple weeks so I'll have to dismantle this thing. I am NOT looking forward to that. Of course I will set it up again, but I'm going to make some changes:
- Colombian tetras will be rehomed, I want to make room for other fish and being ravenous eaters doesn't allow the slower/calmer fish to get their share (if anybody local is interested, let me know)
- The sterbai corys will stay in the 75 gallon, I plan on adding some cupid cichlids (_Biotodoma cupido_), some flavor of pencil fish, maybe skunk corys, and...I dunno some small plecos or Farlowella catfish - I will make this a clearwater environment
- The checkerboards and hatchets will get moved to a 33 gallon long, this will be blackwater. I may invest in an RODI setup so I can drop the TDS as low as possible. 

I'll post up some final tank shots before I break it down.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Was gonna be sad but then realised it is just being rebirthed so all is good!


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

Just saw this, tank looks awesome man.


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## doinkmobb (May 12, 2010)

Opare said:


> Was gonna be sad but then realised it is just being rebirthed so all is good!


Yes, it will be back, but in a slightly different form. The 75 gallon clearwater will have less leaf litter and more open sand so the cupid cichlids can graze, I'll try to keep it tidier. The 33 long will be messy and murky though. 



Nlewis said:


> Just saw this, tank looks awesome man.


Thanks.


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## monkeyruler90 (Apr 13, 2008)

awww sad about dismantling but i'm sure you'll start it up again in the new place


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Looking forward to the future tanks! 

I, like others, got immediately sad, but then kept reading and was happy to hear that you're evolving this thank. 


Good luck with the new house!


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## Torreador (Apr 5, 2017)

Love love LOVE your tank!!!! I had a nano blackwater a few years ago and now I will probably do It again. Thanks for the inspiration and I hope to see pics of the new setup later


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## Tomas_Megis (Jun 26, 2016)

I will miss this tank... :-( Good luck with new one!

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