Any opinion or experience with this? I planning to setup a tank with blackwater for a flowerhorn. Reaping the benefits of blackwater enzymes, acids, flavonoids, etc.
Is blackwater good for flowerhorns?
- Thread starter Rakeboy
- Start date
It won’t really be necessary. The flowerhorn is a cichlid cocktail made from fish from non-black water regions, so there won’t really be any natural benefits to it. Acidic water is bad for them too, they need basic water based on their parent species.
If you want to do black water, chocolate, Oscar, or severum are a better suited cichlid.
If you want to do black water, chocolate, Oscar, or severum are a better suited cichlid.
But what if, adding crushed corals can make my pH stable. As we know that crushed corals is a good buffer. Do tannins significantly make water more acidic?I am curious since I am naive in the pH of blackwater tank. I never try it before.
Technically, but that is a lot of work to find out what balances what. Once you start trying to alter the ph in multiple directions, disasters can occur. Flowerhorns by nature are not built for black water, so any of the beneficial effects of it won’t apply to them.
If you want black water because you like the looks of it, I’d highly suggest getting a cichlid adapted to black water.
If you want black water because you like the looks of it, I’d highly suggest getting a cichlid adapted to black water.
Tannins will not affect the PH of the water if you have a high buffering capacity like KH 8 degrees.
Tannins will have a calming effect since it's been scientifically proven to reduce the stress on even hard water fish like swordtails (lowering cortisol levels). So it should have a calming effect on Flowerhorns as well. It can also help hardwater fish experiencing low oxygen levels.
There are lots of benefits even for hard water fish in the scientific study links at the end of this hobbyist article on tannins:
Guest Blog: Humic substances in freshwater aquariums By Vince Dollar
Editor's note- I was contacted by today's guest author, Vince Dollar, some weeks ago, after he stumbled on the Tannin Aquatics website. Intrigued by our offerings and ideas, he proferred that there is way more to the concept of "aquatic botanicals" than just great-looking aquariums! A very...
Making a true blackwater tank means softening the water and adding tannins. It's the softening of water that is not good for your flowerhorn since it will cause him to lose minerals too fast, and eventually to sickness or death.
Last edited:
Nice info thanks!Tannins will not affect the PH of the water if you have a high buffering capacity like KH 8 degrees.
Tannins will have a calming effect since it's been scientifically proven to reduce the stress on even hard water fish like swordtails (lowering cortisol levels). So it should have a calming effect on Flowerhorns as well. It can also help hardwater fish experiencing low oxygen levels.
There are lots of benefits even for hard water fish in the scientific study links at the end of this hobbyist article on tannins:
Guest Blog: Humic substances in freshwater aquariums By Vince Dollar
Editor's note- I was contacted by today's guest author, Vince Dollar, some weeks ago, after he stumbled on the Tannin Aquatics website. Intrigued by our offerings and ideas, he proferred that there is way more to the concept of "aquatic botanicals" than just great-looking aquariums! A very...tanninaquatics.com
Making a true blackwater tank means softening the water and adding tannins. It's the softening of water that is not good for your flowerhorn since it will cause him to lose minerals too fast, and eventually to sickness or death.
Thanks for clearing it up!Tannins will not affect the PH of the water if you have a high buffering capacity like KH 8 degrees.
Tannins will have a calming effect since it's been scientifically proven to reduce the stress on even hard water fish like swordtails (lowering cortisol levels). So it should have a calming effect on Flowerhorns as well. It can also help hardwater fish experiencing low oxygen levels.
There are lots of benefits even for hard water fish in the scientific study links at the end of this hobbyist article on tannins:
Guest Blog: Humic substances in freshwater aquariums By Vince Dollar
Editor's note- I was contacted by today's guest author, Vince Dollar, some weeks ago, after he stumbled on the Tannin Aquatics website. Intrigued by our offerings and ideas, he proferred that there is way more to the concept of "aquatic botanicals" than just great-looking aquariums! A very...
Making a true blackwater tank means softening the water and adding tannins. It's the softening of water that is not good for your flowerhorn since it will cause him to lose minerals too fast, and eventually to sickness or death.
If you have crushed corals then acids will eat up KH and you won't really have acidic water.