Tannin Aquatics Posted October 17, 2016 Report Share Posted October 17, 2016 If you're a regular reader of "The Tint", you've no doubt seen my posts on some of the many different environments that involve fishes, botanical materials, and blackwater. One of the ones I keep coming back to for inspiration and pure fish-geek study is the "Igapo", a blackwater-flooded Amazonian forest, which occurs near rivers and lakes. I touched on this in an installment a few months back, and a lot of you wanted a bit more on creating on in your aquarium! Rather than focus on the fishes, which we've done before, let's talk more about the actual environment and some thoughts on replicating it in your home aquarium! These bodies of water are "seasonally inundated" by the significant rainfall common ottos region; some of these forests may be submerged for almost half a year...that's a LOT of water! Like, 3%-4% of the water in the Amazon Basin at any given time...And these are precious, diverse natural treasures, so replicating one in the home aquarium is another way to learn and teach more about them, isn't it? Igapo forests have a pretty significant amount of trees; one study found that over 30 species of trees are found in these areas, creating coverage of something on the order of 30%, and are known to have soils that are acidic in nature, yet low in nutrient content (because they don't receive a seasonal influx of nutrients like regions called "varzea", which are flooded by sediment-laden "whitewater" rivers). The water depth can vary from as little as 6-8 inches ( 15.24cm- 20.32cm), to almost 20 feet (6.96m)! And of course, they have a lot of tannin and humic substances in them from all of the soil and plant materials. (click to read more) fishface 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGlassBox Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 Interesting blog! I'm trying to create a blackwater environment in a tank I have to try and breed my cardinal tetras. It's tough to get the kh, ph and chemistry just right. I have a pot of peat and DI water on the stove as we speak... Still trying to figure out the ratios of my well water (KH 6) and peat extract to get it right. It's a challenge, but I'm having fun with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGlassBox Posted October 18, 2016 Report Share Posted October 18, 2016 Hey, how low on the KH do you think I could go? My well water is a KH 6. I've tried diluting it down to what should be a KH of 2 with straight peat extract made with DI water, and a few hours after de-gassing the pH still goes back up to almost 8! Arrrhhhgg!! Do you think a KH of 1 would be safe? Not adding any buffers or anything other than my well water, and peat extract made with DI. Any suggestions? I need to get the water really soft and down to a stable pH of about 6-6.5 for them to breed. Any suggestions? Not looking to try and mess with my pH for long term. Just to breed them.... Then I'll raise everything back up to my natural water very slowly, as in over a couple of days... Any thoughts? Would love to hear them! ohmiko 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannin Aquatics Posted October 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2016 Great questions...Honestly, I've been able to maintain water pretty darn close to 1 without any problems whatsoever for the types of fishes that I keep (mostly characins!). I use RO/DI water, steep some catappa leaves in there, and have sort of developed a routine for myself that works well and gives me stable, consistent parameters with my source water. I monitor the pH and KH diligently, and I am consistent with my husbandry practices. I think- and it's my opinion- that with proper understanding of the dynamic of low Ph/KH systems, and good husbandry practices (coupled with diligent observation/testing) that you can maintain these systems safely and efficiently for years (I know that I have). Like anything else in the hobby, consistency and observation are keys, IMHO. There is a lot of material out there on ph and KH management, written by many people more qualified than I. Of course, as a hobbyist, I say go for it! Oh, read this one from our blog... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGlassBox Posted October 20, 2016 Report Share Posted October 20, 2016 Thanks for the feedback! I think I've figured it out... You have to *leave the tannin source in the water*. I was just using a home made extract. Filled a kettle with peat and DI water and simmered it on the stove. Then I strained all the peat out with a towel. So I was just adding the extract, and it wasn't working. It didn't lower the pH that much at all, and by the next morning it had bounced back up, even after taking my kH down to 3 by diluting it with DI water. It was frustrating... So on the next batch that i made, I let the pot cool down and just stuck the pH probe into the pot. pH 4!!! Wow!!! Left it in overnight and it was still at 4 the next morning! Yeah!!! And I notice that you have leaves in the bottom of your tank.... I wanted to use just the extract, because I'm used to raising fry in bare bottomed tanks. Easier to keep clean and see the babies to check on how their doing. But I guess I'm going to have to have a peat bottomed tank to breed the cardinals and raise the fry. I have a couple of 2.5 gallon tanks that I set up today with differing amounts of peat, and different KH values. I'll see which one leads me in the right direction. It'll be a fun undertaking. And I'll keep a journal. Thanks! Tannin Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannin Aquatics Posted October 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2016 Hey, always something to learn! You could leave the tannin source, like leaves, etc in the water in a filter bag...one of the micron varieties? That way, you could have a continuous passive replenishment of tannins without having the need to keep leaf litter and such in the tank...Just a thought. Hope you have some great success with this project! Will be a lot of fun and a good amount of learning will go with it, too! Be sure to share about your progress! Thanks, Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGlassBox Posted October 21, 2016 Report Share Posted October 21, 2016 Now there's a great idea! If I use a filter bag, I can still have a bare bottom which is so much easier to keep clean. Thanks! -Sharon Tannin Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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