TetraAqua Blackwater Extract.... Any good?

[Kyle_91]

i was at my LFS the other day picking up some filters when i saw this in a bottle:

Could anybody tell me if this would be worth to try out in my 30 gallon tall?

 

[3dees]

I would love to get the tannin look back for my biotope. I have looked at this product and for a 30 gal. it might be ok. one bottle is good for 500 gals. for me that would be less than 5 weeks of wc's. plus, the bottle does'nt say if it will lower your ph. I will not add anything to my tank that may alter my water.

 

[Kyle_91]

I would love to get the tannin look back for my biotope. I have looked at this product and for a 30 gal. it might be ok. one bottle is good for 500 gals. for me that would be less than 5 weeks of wc's. plus, the bottle does'nt say if it will lower your ph. I will not add anything to my tank that may alter my water.

so this would probably be a "no-go"?...

 

[Kyle_91]

or should i just do it and see what happens? cause they least that can happen would be my ph and nitrates mess up but i've read up about this stuff and suposively it wont do that.
i might just see what happens...

 

[Lupin]

Ya know your backward oak leaves (if not contaminated) and driftwoods are much cheaper than a bottle of tannic acids. Tannic acids can lower pH depending on your hardness levels.

 

[Kyle_91]

the driftwood i have in the tank now is fake. and i dont have any leaves in the tank either. just live plants.

 

[Lupin]

Do you have access to unlimited supply of oak leaves? How about Indian almond leaves?

 

[JK47]

or should i just do it and see what happens? cause they least that can happen would be my ph and nitrates mess up but i've read up about this stuff and suposively it wont do that.
i might just see what happens...

No one can tell you if this product will alter your water chemisty based on the info from this thread. If you water is hard (I'm talking kH not pH) than you can add the entire bottle and it will only be cosmetic. If you water is soft, than even adding small amount can alter your water. This is a concentrated formula of tannin and humic acids, that is acidity (soft water) very few fish need these to thrive. If your water is soft to begin with, this product is not needed at all. Most will tell you to leave your water alone and remain consistant. If you looking to mimic blackwater conditions and are serious about it (I do), I suggest you invenst in a decent RO filter. WHat are you hardness readings and what kind of fish are you keeping?

ps - my tap is 7.6 pH but very hard and high in calcium. I could add that entire bottle to a 10 gallon tank and it would be purely cosmetic.

 

[KyleStone]

No one can tell you if this product will alter your water chemisty based on the info from this thread. If you water is hard (I'm talking kH not pH) than you can add the entire bottle and it will only be cosmetic. If you water is soft, than even adding small amount can alter your water. This is a concentrated formula of tannin and humic acids, that is acidity (soft water) very few fish need these to thrive. If your water is soft to begin with, this product is not needed at all. Most will tell you to leave your water alone and remain consistant. If you looking to mimic blackwater conditions and are serious about it (I do), I suggest you invenst in a decent RO filter. WHat are you hardness readings and what kind of fish are you keeping?

ps - my tap is 7.6 pH but very hard and high in calcium. I could add that entire bottle to a 10 gallon tank and it would be purely cosmetic.

I am intrested in geting my tank water in to black water, but what should the water conditions exactly be ? like the ph, gh, kh

 

[JK47]

I am intrested in geting my tank water in to black water, but what should the water conditions exactly be ? like the ph, gh, kh

That depends on what species your trying to keep. "blackwater" can vary in softness depending on locale. True blackwater species like Satanoperca daemon, Uaru fernandezyepezi and Pterophyllum altum are found in pH below 5.0. In order to trigger some of these species to spawn, you practically have to keep them in battery acid. In fact some of these species can thrive in water so soft benificail bacterial colonies cannot even survive.