Creating Blackwater Conditions

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Pharaoh

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Feb 18, 2008
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Just doing a little browsing and started thinking about blackwater extract, leaves, driftwood and I started thinking about what the whole thing boils down to. I know many of the members use some form of blackwater extract or another. Be it home made, by soaking leaves or by purchasing it (Tetra brand, etc).

I would like to discuss the uses and purpose behind using the blackwater extract.

These are what I know or have heard claims of through browsing;

1. Creating natural conditions for comfort/lower stress.

2. Promoting breeding behavior

3. Increased brood/survival rates of fry
-It is said that various chemicals will aid in preventing fungus growth on eggs

4. Medicinal usage
- Treatment of some ailments such as bacterial infections, fungal infections and the whirling disorder found in characin species

I am also curious as to what exactly we are getting from the blackwater extract. I couldn't find an ingredients list for the Tetra brand extract, so if anyone has a bottle handy, please feel free to post it.

I have heard talk of using specific acids to spur the same results as they are a part of the total extract, if I am to understand it correctly.

A few of these chemicals have shown up:
-Tannic Acid
-Humic Acid
-Fulvic Acid

Depending on the actual chemical makeup of the extracts vs what is necessary, you could easily make your own extra formula to use in your home aquaria.

Thoughts, comments and contributions?
 
I've never "intentionally" used blackwater extracts for my systems. But I've always used driftwood in my tanks and live plants. on a scientific level I couldn't tell you squat, but it's something I continue to do and reccomend to people. before I used driftwood in my tanks I had fairly regular issues with bacterial infections and other health problems, even though my water was consistantly "Good". The fact that I also find my tanks aestetically pleasing as a result is just a bonus imo.

with all of that being said I also think it's not for every species. and it wouldn't surprize me if some species would do worse with such "treatments" Most of my fish that have benefitted are Spiney eels, and Bichir. my Gar seem to care less, and react no differently. my plecos for obviouse reasons really enjoy it. And my white cloud mountain minnows seemed to not enjoy the dritwood/tannin stain at all.
 
I've used it before after reading the many benefits about it. But to be honest, aside from turning my water brown, there was no real difference as far as I could tell. Color didn't change, neither did behavior. So I didn't see a reason to continue using it in my 400g cichla tank.

I know that Scatocephalus has spent a lot of time working with blackwater conditions. Here's some of his DIY stuff

using peatmoss
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273842
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273848

using oak leaves
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131807
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132646
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130958
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131775
 
I read through a lot of his threads, but I was left with one question. What is it that we are wanting from the leaves and what benefits does it have?

On a basic level, you have to wonder why fish do so much better in ponds than in home aquaria. What's the big difference here? I know many that put their cichlids into ponds to grow out or to breed during the summer months.
 
I have the same question. I mean, I know what we want from the leaves; the blackwater conditions. But what benefits does it actually have? I don't know. I couldn't tell you from my experience.

And yes, fish seem to do much better in mud ponds. There's gotta be some benefit in these natural earth ponds with murky water. Perhaps somebody should do an experiment using a layer or natural earth/mud in their tank. Won't be pretty most of the time, but it should be interesting to see! One could set up two 50g tank with the same type of cichlid. Same setups, only one is bare bottom and the other is a mud bottom and the water is kept murky. Then compare how the fish looks after a few months.
 
Intersting read, and good point about the toxic stress in using chemicals to treat disease. So with these humic and fluvic acids, is this something that is known to be released through the use of peatmoss, oak or indian almond leaves? Or what are the other methods for adding this to the aquarium? How can we measure/dose the amount we are actually adding. As usual, threads like this always lead to more questions instead of answers, but that's a good thing! :)

The Tetra extract would be nice if it contained all this stuff, but it gets very expensive, especially on larger tanks. There's gotta be a way to add this yourself without buying overpriced watered-down bottled products, just how we do with plant ferts. We dose bulk dry chemicals instead of the pricey Seachem bottled line of ferts.
 
Maybe we can try this stuff!

Many scientists throughout the world call Fulvic Acid "the missing link to optimum health”.

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According to the Water Quality Association, Fulvic Acid is a "water-soluble, natural, organic substance of low molecular weight, often found in surface water." It is one of several subclasses of Humic Acids that arise from complex mixtures of partially decomposed organic materials.

In other words, Humic Acids are biological compounds created by Mother Earth. These composites were originally deposited by pristine, ancient forests and compacted and transformed over millions of years, waiting to be extracted for our use today.

Properties of Humic and Fulvic Acids

Humic and Fulvic Acids "wear many hats” because they enter into all life processes within all life forms.

Humic substances, of which Fulvic Acid is one, are the link between the living and the nonliving in nature. They were orchestrated by Mother Nature to bridge this gap.

When the proper amounts of humic substances are dissolved in water, the water takes on a new form, becoming molecularly restructured. Specifically, Humic Acids cause the water to form pyramid-shaped molecules (tetrahedrons) that have valuable, proven medicinal properties.

Unfortunately, Fulvic Acid is still not well known or understood by most of the scientific and medical community. Chemists have not been able to synthesize it or clearly define it. Why? Because it is the smallest, most complex, most highly refined, naturally occurring, water-soluble substance on Earth!

Tiny amounts of Fulvic Acid remarkably transform the molecular structure of water, making it intensely more active and penetrable. Additionally, it assists water in its job of dissolving and transporting, helping to carry nutrients into the cell and waste products away from it, while also helping to neutralize toxins, invaders, and heavy metals. As a result of these extraordinary properties, it is believed by some that all homeopathic remedies should contain Fulvic Acid in order to enhance their action.


Amazingly enough, scientists have discovered that Fulvic Acid is nothing less than tiny fragments of DNA from past generations of living organisms. In other words, Fulvic Acid is the "milk" from Mother Nature, meant for giving life, energy, health, immunity, and renewal to Earth and all of its life forms.
  • This "milk" could be one of the most important discoveries in the history of health and medicine.
The 21st-Century Nutritional Challenge

Humic and Fulvic Acids are much more than bioregulators, for they also contain macro- and micro-nutrients needed by our bodies.
In this regard, much has been written in recent years about the deterioration of our food supply. There has been intense questioning about how to improve the poor nutrient quality of today’s available foods.

USDA studies show a 25-to-80-percent decline in minerals in the food we eat. In 1936, U.S. Senate Document 264 stated, "The alarming fact is that foods, fruits, vegetables, and grains now being raised on millions of acres of land no longer contain necessary levels of essential minerals. These foods are starving us, no matter how much we eat."


Professor Louis Kervran, France's former Minister of Health and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, states:
  • The present form of agriculture, to which our biological agriculture is opposed, leads to the ruin of soil and health and will eventually bring about the death of humanity.
Even when minerals are supplemented, most preparations are only minutely bioavailable. Thus, our bodies cannot properly absorb the minerals.
Finally, the help is available! Our Humic and Fulvic formula not only contains the minerals our bodies need, but, more importantly, the compounds in our mixture enable these minerals to be absorbed by the human body. Technically, these acids consist of "negatively charged metal-complexing ligands," which act as ion exchangers, releasing metal ions of low atomic mass and chelating heavier metals.

What this means for us is that Humic Acids and Fulvic Acid complexes enhance mineral and trace element uptake, helping us to maintain mineral and trace element balances in our bodies without threat of toxicity. Whenever minerals come in contact with Fulvic Acid in a water medium, they are naturally dissolved into ionic form. These minerals literally become part of the Fulvic Acid itself. Once the minerals meld into the Fulvic Acid complex, they are now bioactive, bioavailable, and organic.

Humic Acids and Fulvic Acid complexes might very well be the answer to the 21st-century nutritional challenge.
Our Fulvic and Humic Acid are Unique

These products are so superior to any other Humic and Fulvic Acid products that it is in a category of its own.

We currently find Fulvic Acid solutions on the market that will carry only a 2-to-5-percent concentration solution. Other companies use an extract process with an acid-derived base. This alters the quality of the end product, resulting in, among other things, an acidic pH — something we do not need with our already highly acidic bodies. Also, these inferior products are often processed using chlorinated water, even though it has been shown that the combination of chlorine with Fulvic Acid creates a deadly toxin in the body.

Nano’s Health Solution’s products are different. They are the product of 40 years of research in extracting Humic and Fulvic Acids from the richest deposits of organic shale known. This unique process, used only by Nano Health Solution’s manufacturer, creates a compound with a body-friendly pH and never uses chlorinated water. Additionally, Nano Health’s manufacturer uses the best supply of humic base available.
Humic Acid Benefits

When Humic Acid is consumed by any life form, increased energy may be one of the first results, followed by a noticeable improvement in morale. Other effects may include decreased appetite, deeper, higher-quality sleep, and a lessening of pain and debility from arthritis or physical injuries.

For any life that is in a serious degenerative condition, a healing crisis might occur. The body will go into a state of major cleansing and will use all its “exit doors:” intestines, kidneys, skin, lungs, liver, and, in women, the vagina. In other words, the body will try to rid itself of all of its accumulated toxins and poisons, including heavy metals, parasites, and fungi.

Although often uncomfortable, healing side effects are temporary. Professional practitioners are aware of this phenomenon and can guide you through it.

Anti-Aging and Immunity

As we age, many facets of the body's chemical equilibrium become unbalanced. Humic substances produced by our unique nano-technology may help maintain this chemical equilibrium in the body, creating "homeostasis." This makes Nano Health’s Humic & Fulvic Acid a superior anti-aging and rejuvenation formula.

Fulvic Acid is the finest electrolyte known to man. Its electrolytes are able to restore vitality in all life forms. When our electrolytic potential (aka our "Zeta potential") fades away, so do our energy and our health. In fact, this loss of electrolyte potential is the main reason why we “age.” However, Fulvic Acid promotes an electrochemical balance because it is both a donor and a receptor of electrons.

Also, Fulvic Acid can be useful as an adjunct to other longevity agents and may enhance their effectiveness.

One of the most exciting aspects of Fulvic Acid is the powerful and diverse spectrum of immune system responses it stimulates in the human body.

IMPORTANT NOTICE


You must use non-chlorinated spring water or juice to take with Humic & Fulvic Acid. City, chlorinated water, cannot be used with Fulvic and Humic because you lose all the benefits of the two acids. In other words, you would be wasting your money if you decide to mix the acids with chlorinated water.
If you mix the two acids with chlorinated water you also may experience negative results.
Chlorine is a hazardous chemical. If possible, you should always try to drink only spring water, distilled water or non-reconstituted juice. Another choice would be water that has been filtered to take out the chlorine and other dangerous chemicals such as a reverse osmosis system.



Humic & Fulvic Acid

Fulvic Acid may be used for daily nutritional supplementation, although it will not provide the degree of energy that comes when Humic and Fulvic are used together. Fulvic is tasteless, gold in color and has no ordor. Humic is black in color because it contains a high proportion of Humic Acids. Also, it has a faint metallic aftertaste, and is for internal use only.
Recommended dosage is one ounce of Fulvic Acid per day mixed with ½ ounce of Humic Acid taken in the morning with six ounces of spring water. Two, 32-oz. bottles essentially represents a month's supply of Fulvic and two months supply of Humic. Finally, for best results, drink these products on an empty stomach and wait at least half an hour before ingesting any other food, drink, or supplement.
None of the statements in this document has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Humic and Fulvic Acids are not intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease. For any health condition, we suggest that you obtain advice from a licensed medical practitioner.


http://www.fulvic.org/html/order_products.html
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A little more. This helps explain why fish seem to grow much faster and are healthier in natural mud ponds

"Humic acid" is a principal component of humic substances which are the major organic constituents of soil, (humus), peat, coal, many upland streams, dystrophic lakes and ocean water.[1] It is produced by biodegradation of dead organic matter
 
That's what I was getting at. What if we could cut out all the unnecesary stuff and dose what helps. My research started from the guy on here that was selling humic acid. I wanted to know what it was and what it would do. From there, I stumbled on humic and fluvic acid and then onto tannic acid.

Also, from another person on the site who shall remain nameless. The humic and fulvic acid are what constitute part of the musky odor of a lake. Maybe this is the good part of it all.
 
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