Blackwater... the easy way.

[Shane]

Step 1) Fill an old livebearer breeding trap with dead leaves from deciduous trees. Oak and beech work great.
Step 2) Hang in tank. Leave until you reach your desired "darkness." 24 hours leaves a slight tinge, 48 creates a darker effect like weak tea and 3-4 days makes for true tea-colored water.

Once your desired state is reached move the breeding trap to the next tank you want to darken.

Experimenting has shown that my Congo tetras go into a spawning frenzy about 48 hours after I add the livebearer trap full of leaves.

Top tank is after 48 hours with leaves. It is hard to photograph the tint, but you can compare the top tank's color to the water in the lower tanks.

-Shane

[syno321]

Thanks for the tip Shane! Now to try and find oak and beech here on the prairie

[Shane]

I am sure many people on the forum could send you a box full for the cost of postage.
-Shane

[jodilynn]

Shane, I am curious as to weather I could put few oak/beech leaves (I have both on my property and the woods at my Ma's are primarily oak and beech) into my HOB Marineland filter and leave them in there to soften my water in my 40 gallon cube? My water PH is 8.23, and while it seems to suit my other tanks, that one will be primarily a South American tank with Angels, tetras, and Corys.

I'm wondering because I have 4 wild caught Olga Corys and they seem a bit "sad", the LFS was a bit concerned about them adjusting to the high ph. I hate messing with the water chemistry too much and simply keeping some leaves tucked in the filter seems like a good way to naturally lower the ph.

Let me know your thoughts...

Now, to trek through the 14+ inches of snow and the 4ft snowdrifts out to my oak trees...

[racoll]

I am curious as to weather I could put few oak/beech leaves ... to soften my water?

Leaves cannot soften water (i.e. remove minerals). They do release a tiny amount of acids that neutralise some of the alkalinity in the tank, but this effect is pretty much negligible in well buffered water. What is your overall TDS and KH?

By all add means add some, as they will not do any harm, and will make the water more natural, but also realise that as they decompose they will remove oxygen from the water (so maybe not a good idea until after that ich problem has cleared up).

Hope this helps.

[characinkid]

This works for me also, I just add a few leaves into each tank that I want to acidify.... and leave them there....

[jodilynn]

Thanks guys!

After I posted it I did some reading and yes I realize that it will not "soften" my water per se, & I apologize I don't know overall exact TDS and the KH usually reads around 300ppm (high).

The older cycled tanks have large pieces of driftwood that have tinted the water, and I thought that "softened" the water as the water the "total hardness GH ppm" in those tanks reads around 75 ppm (soft) and the 40 gallon which is newer is reading in the 300ppm range (hard). Whenever I get the water tested in the other tanks the LFS owner always says "Oh, you have driftwood" because the water has a definite tint. There is a small piece of driftwood in the 40 gallon.

The pleco that was sick sadly died, so I am going to run the Rid Ich a couple more days just in case, and then stop it and put the carbon back in. I have a large airstone in there, I am going to get a larger pump to push more air through it (and the tank I just set up next to it...I am a glutton for punishment...) so between that and the Biowheel I think the tank will be aerated well enough once all this mess is done in that tank...ugh...

I truly appreciate everyone on this website who is always so patient and forthcoming with their experiences and information! YOU GUYS ROCK!

[racoll]

the "total hardness GH ppm" in those tanks reads around 75 ppm (soft) and the 40 gallon which is newer is reading in the 300ppm range (hard).

That's very strange. Sounds like there is something in your 40 gallon that is adding to substantially to the hardness (coral sand or perhaps?). It's hard to say though, without knowing the measurements directly from your tap. Do you have kits to do this yourself, or do you take to the LFS?

[jodilynn]

They are (old) test strips. I measure the ammonia and nitrite with individual kits. When I take the water in they say "everything is great" and within the normal parameters it's just that the ph is on the high end 8.23. I have never actually asked what the actual readings are.

Would the water softener (salt-based) have anything to do with it either?

My water seems to be one of the great mysteries of the world .

I cannot find the media bag (for that matter I had two of the damn things) ANYWHERE I figured I'd just stuff the leaves in that and then remove it. Would a nylon do?

[2wheelsx2]

Or you can just leave the leaves in there. I do that to create leaf litter at the bottom of the tank. It does break down and make a bit of a mess, but nothing that my weeky maintenance doesn't deal with. The caveat is that I use India Almond leaves so I'm sure sure if it would be safe with oak and beech leaves. My shrimps and plecos gnaw on the leaves constantly.

[jodilynn]

Are those the Catappa leaves they always advertise on ebay?

[2wheelsx2]

Yep. I buy it in bulk. $20 worth of leaves lasts me a year in 3 tanks. I buy it from this lady from Singapore and buy the lowest grade (cheapest) stuff since it all breaks down anyway. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amys-200-grams- ... 3a7f482512