kiwiplymouth Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I want to make a 160L blackwater tank I have been looking at the Indian almond leaves on trade and reading up on oak leaves,peat and moss. Are there other common additives that i can use? Has anyone used tea bags or Aquatrop J? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I have a tank with peat and leaves as a substrate, makes the water lovely and brown. The fish are pretty slow most of the time, but maintenance stirs things up pretty seriously. No filter etc because of that, but the water is always in pretty good shape. Seems to work like a pond, and has various self-sustaining populations of tiny critters. If that is not the look you want, you could always have a 40 gallon drum with water and peat and use that for the waterchanges. One thing to keep in mind: the tannin does soak up the light, so you will want to use brighter light than you expect to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Thanks Stella, This is for a catfish tank to try and help stimulate them to breed. I was think more of something that i could add into the filter of place in a stocking at the back of the tank. This would give me the tannins but not the mess. As it is for catfish light isn't really an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 You could try hiding something in a filter, but you might need a really massive filter to house enough to get much effect... If you had a dud filter maybe you could plumb it in-line and have that filled with peat in a stocking? Actually, I wonder if peat can work as the actual filter medium??? I suspect I may have heard of this before... Otherwise the 44 gallon drum might be your best bet. Extra thought re leaves: I have a small tank with a thick leaf substrate and get almost no colouring out of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 In the past I have used tea bags, peat, oak leaves, oak bark or driftwood and all with no problems. The brown water in streams from the west coast can be pretty good also--rainwater which has run through leaf litter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Grab a good handful of clean dead brown oak leaves and put them in a pot full of cooled boiled water or filtered rain water for a day, then put the pot on the stove and boil them for 10 - 15 minutes. pour through a coffee filter. Can also use Peat or Indian almond leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I was just idly reading through the posts in this thread and thinking "oooh there's a good idea - tea bags to make quick & easy tannin-filled water." Then I remembered I usually drink CHAI tea which has CLOVES in it! Just in case anyone else is thinking about it - please just stick to plain tea like your grandma used to drink, unless your Grandma was Indian! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I have discovered Dwarf Cichlids and the such so I am running s large stocking full of peat and a very large hand handfull or Oak leaves in my sump for this bank of ten tanks (600x 400 x 450) I have these on top of my pre filter and the tank return water casacades over them proir to passing thru the mechanical filter medium. Works very well for me If you like I have a dead in line filter housing that you could have for a small sum and shipping. Navarre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I got given some Aquatrop J so i have gone with a half dose of that and a couple of tea bags. I have ordered some indian almond leaf to try in another tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I havent tried tea bags for ages and never found they did much more than make the water dark, didnt seem to lower pH or decreace hardness. Tea also has fluoride and caffeine and a bunch of other stuff in it. I doubt they are in quantities high enough to do any harm but why use a tea bag when peat is about 1/100th of the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I havent tried tea bags for ages and never found they did much more than make the water dark, didnt seem to lower pH or decreace hardness. Tea also has fluoride and caffeine and a bunch of other stuff in it. I doubt they are in quantities high enough to do any harm but why use a tea bag when peat is about 1/100th of the price. I dont wan't to decrease hardness or ph as i am on rainwater (ph 6.0 or lower and very soft) I should have mentioned that before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 I did the whole blackwater thing to breed neon tetras. I just had tank with peat on the bottom (about 2cm thick) and filtered it for a few weeks. Then I used a net, and scooped out all the peat. I then got smarter and did the same in a big bucket, and volia, blackwater without the floaties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 i just have a peice of wood off the beach that i boiled etc, but it is SOOO choka-block full of tannins that after bout 3 or 4 months now it still makes my water a lovely golden brown colour... only problem is that all my friends just think my tank is dirty... :roll: then try explaining that the fish like it like that and it makes thier colour better and they get the glazed over look -> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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