Black water extract

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A

atizknock

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 13, 2008
52
1
0
east coast
Ive been using kent blackwater pro on my new rbp tank and im wondering if any of the more experienced piranha keepers here have used it or tetra blackwater extract


any thoughts, questions, comments are appreciated!!!
 
i dont think you realy need it
piranhas arent that shy to need something like that
have you ownded piranhas without the extract?
how do they act in clear water opposed to the black water?
i wouldnt want to because it just makes the tank look crudy
 
Nah this is my first foray into piranha keeping. Ive used black water extract with my discus for years though. My goal for the tank was to create the most natural habitat possible for my rbps, so i used lots of driftwood, live amazon swords and some other low light anubias along with a healthy amount of floating water sprite. I just figured the stained water would make my little guys a little more comfortable and that the tannic and humic acids would help to create water conditions similiar to their native habitat. I must be doing something right though, they are fearless...they dart right to the front of tank everytime i walk into the room. Soon as my gf gives me the digital camera ill post some pics
 
Red Bellies can be pretty shy, and I've seen them stress out for no other reason to be found than someone looking at them. Adding in the extract did really help. In nature, visibility where they live might be as little as 1 foot of viewing distance.

Personally, I like tannins in the water if the tank is setup to resemble a biotope with plants.
 
i've kept 11 rbp. when i first got them i didnt use it, until my first wate change. i didnt see any thing different when i poured in tetra blkwater extract. yeah they are from the amazon. arowana are from the amazon aswell, u dont really need it. like the other guys said u can use malaysian driftwood, it does the same job. but blackwater works wonder if ur tryin to breed, it promote fish activity... kinda like a "high" for them. if u need more assistance check out piranha-fury.com , its a great site dedicated to ps. dzb912 is right it makes it cloudy as hell. so if ur going for the amazon isotope go for it. if u want a clear tank dont put alot it. maybe 2-3 cap full. good luck bro.
 
as much as id like the tank to be perfectly clear, i'm more concerned with recreating a "natural" feeling tank. Maybe after a couple months when the fish are a little more settled and the water sprite is more grown in ill go for a more polished look. Ill have my RO unit by then too and maintaing a 6.5 ph will be way easier.

you guys really think the stained water looks that bad?
 
i don't like the blackwater extract, i think it's a waste of money... i've tried it and haven't noticed a difference in behavior. to be honest, the only people that i know of that use it are people that are new to the hobby that read about it on a care sheet. some new driftwood will color up your water nicely if that's your goal.
 
yea i only use it as a vitaman suplement about once a month so it doesnt cloud my water i notice no diffrence in fish behavior at all just slight yellow tint for a couple of days but i am new to the hobby ive only been keeping fish in a tank for 8 months now but i find it to be realy adictive if i need fish food or filtersfrom my lfs my gf takes all my money but like 20 or 30 bucks before i go she calls it the crack store
 
i would at least wait and see how dark your water gets from the driftwood
 
ya im actually trying to get rid of my yellow water from my driftwood...
its making my tank look murky i hate it
but if ur aiming for a natural look i would wait for ur wood to turn the water yellow before adding the extract because with both the extract and the wood your tank will look more like its filled with mud
 
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