Blackwater Aquarium Setup Guide: Everything You Should ...

Blackwater aquariums are a popular type of biotope aquarium that are ... are perfect for stately blackwater cichlids like Discus, Angelfish, ... Skiptocontent Menu RecentArticles Saltwater SearchSearch BuildYourAquarium.comissupportedbyourreaders.Whenyoubuythroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnacommission.Learnmore. Biotopeaquariums(tanksmodeledafternaturalecosystems)aresomeofmyfavoritefreshwatersetups.Unlikethepinkgravelandbubblingtreasurechestdesktoptank,abiotopemakesyouthinkoffastflowingjunglestreams,rockylakebeds,oraplacid,weed-chokedtropicalriver. Blackwateraquariumsareapopulartypeofbiotopeaquariumthatarealittlemorechallengingthanmost.Thewaterconditionsaremoreexactingthanmostfreshwatertanks.Theyareonparwithmarineaquariumsystemsindifficultybutjustasrichlyrewardingonceestablished. Curiousyet?Thenlet’sdiveintothefascinatingworldoftheblackwateraquarium. AmazonianBiotopebyAndreeaFilip WhatisaBlackwaterAquarium? Ifyouspendafairamountoftimeoutdoorsyou’velikelycomeacrossablackwaterbodyofwaterbefore.Theyarefoundallovertheworldbutaretypicallyformedinenclosedareaslikepondsandtemporarypools.Butincertainconditionswherefreshwaterrunsovermineral-poorsoilsintoplant-chokedforests,youcangetflowingblackwaterstreamsandrivers. BlackwaterriversexistinplaceslikeIndonesia,Venezuela,Brazil,andotherpartsoftheworldwherewaterrunsthroughfloodedforests,peataccumulations,deadwood,orswamps. Mostblackwatersareintropicalrainforestsbutnotall.ManyofthepeatbogsintheUnitedKingdomandCanadaarealsoblackwaterenvironments,asaremanyswampsandriversintheSoutheasternUnitedStates. Thesewatersarestaineddarkthroughtheaccumulationoforganicmatterleachedoutfromthesedeadplants.PlanttanninsandhumicsubstancesslowlydecayandbufferthewatertowardsacidityorpH<7.0(preventingthepHfromeasilybecomingalkalineor>pH7.0). Thereareanumberofpopularandlesswellknownaquariumfishthatarefoundintheseregions,includingmanytetrasandcichlids.Settingupablackwaterbiotopeensuresthatthesefishhavethebestpossibleconditionsfortheirhealth.Blackwaterenvironmentsareoftenjustthepushthesefishneedtobreedaswell! Soifyouwanttolearnmoreaboutthistypeofbiotopeaquariumthenlet’sbreakdownhowtosetupandmaintainablackwateraquarium! CommonNames:Blackwaterbiotope,Swampbiotope,BogaquariumTypicalRegionsoftheWorld:NorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,SoutheastAsia,AustraliaAquariumSize:AnyEaseofCare:ModeratelyDifficult SettingUpaBlackwaterAquarium Ablackwatertankisalittlechallengingtogetupandrunningduetothespecificwaterconditionsneeded.Butonceyouunderstandwhattoaddandwhattopreventgettingintothetank,you’rewellonyourwaytosuccess! AquariumSize Oneofthemostfunaspectstorunningablackwateraquariumisthatyoucancreateoneusinganysizedtank.Infact,ablackwaternanoaquariumcanactuallybeeasiertomaintainthanalargerone.Thisisbecauseoftheexactingwaterconditionsblackwatertanksrequire. Sinceit’sbesttostartwithultrapurewaterandtreatitwithplanttannins,smalleraquariumsareeasiertokeeptreatedandrefilled.Manyblackwaterfishareespeciallysmallaswell,includingseveralnanofish.Thesefisharesuitableevenforaquariumsassmallas5gallons. Ofcourse,youcansetupblackwateraquariumstobeaslargeasyoulike.Tanks55gallonsinsizeorlargerareperfectforstatelyblackwatercichlidslikeDiscus,Angelfish,andUarus(Uaruamphiacanthoides). You’llalsohavespaceforschoolingspecieslikeSilverDollarsandsolitarylargeblackwatercatfishlikeHoplocats(Megalechisthoracata).Theonlyrealdifficultyistreatingtheselargeraquariumswhendoingwaterchangesbutwe’lldiscussthisinabit. WaterConditions Whenyouseeablackwateraquariumforthefirsttimethetea-coloredwaterisstrikingandimmediatelymakesyouthinkofanaturalpond,stream,orriver.Inordertomaintainasuccessfulblackwatertankwe’llneedtoaddthesesubstancesourselves. Therearetwomaintypesofplanttanninsources:slow-releaseandinstantadditions.Wealwayswanttohaveseveralslowreleasesourcesonhandaswellasaninstantblackwatermixwecanaddforwaterchanges. Ifyoudoawaterchangewiththewrongkindofwater,slowreleasesourcesmaynoteasilybringyourwaterconditionsbacktowhereyouwantthem.Themajorsourcesofslowreleasinghumicsubstancesarepeat,driftwood,IndianAlmondleaves,andotherslowlydecayingplantdebristhat’snaturallyhighinthesechemicals. Ideally,you’lluseamixtureofallthreematerialswhensettingupyourtankforthefirsttime.Mixingpeatintothesubstrateisanexcellentwaytoensureyourtankisbufferedtowardsacidityforthelong-term. You’llwanttochooseasubstratethat’seitherrichinorganicsitselforpHneutral.Acidicsubstratesincludesomeclays,soilsubstrates(usedinWalstadaquariums,andsomeaquariumplantingsubstratessuchasADAAmazonia.Youcanmixpeatintothesubstrateandthencapitwitha½-inchlayerofsandtokeepitfromfloatingaway. pHneutralsubstratesincludefreshwatersandandgravel,aswellasmostbutnotallclaysubstrates.Youdon’twanttousemarinesandorgravel,whichisusuallymadeofcrushedaragoniteand/orlimestone.ThismaterialwilldissolveinwaterandsendyourpHandhardnesssky-high.WewantthisforAfricanCichlidandsaltwatertanksbutnotblackwateraquariums. ProductsforAdjustingWaterParametersinBlackwaterAquariums Tannin&HumicAcidsources:Peat,Driftwood,Bottledtannins,IndianAlmondLeaves,decayingplantmatter.ThesealsoactasaciditybufferingagentsGeneralHardness(GH)reducingresinsDistilledorReverseOsmosis(RO)water BlackwaterConditioner Let’stakesometimetodiscusstheothermostcommonsourcesofplanttannins.Havingabottleofblackwaterextractisessentialtoaquariummaintenance.Anytimeyouneedtodoawaterchangeyou’llneedtoquicklyaddenoughtanninstorebalancethewaterchemistry. Slow-releasesourcesofplanttanninscan’tusuallymatchasuddenshiftinparametersduetoawaterchange.Andeventhelargestpieceofdriftwoodwilleventuallyrunoutofhumicsubstancestoleach. BrightwellAquaticsBlackwater-LiquidHumicSubstanceConditionerforPlanted... Establishessimilarwaterconditionstothose...Helpsimulatetheonsetoftherainyseasonfor...Enhancestheeffectivenessofplantnutrient... $13.86 BuyonAmazon Manybrands,suchastheoneabove,don’tstainthewaterdarkyetstillcontainthehumicsubstancesneeded.Thisisthebestbrandforaquaristswhowanttheplanttanninbenefitswithoutthedarkwater.Butifyouhaveothersourcesoftannins,especiallydriftwoodandpeat,you’llseeyourwaterbegintodarkenovertime. Blackwaterconditionersarehighlyconcentrated;asinglecapfulcandoseseveralgallonsatatimesousesparingly.You’llrarelyneedtobesuperprecise;wejustneedenoughtodosenewlyaddedwaterandreplaceanytanninsthathavebrokendownduetobiologicalactivity. Theseagentsincreasethebioavailabilityofnutrientsforplantsandhaveeffectsonblackwaterfishthataren’tfullyunderstoodbutmustbeexperiencedtobebelieved.Blackwaterfishlikecharacins(tetras),corydoras,andmanycichlidswilloftenbecomeconditionedtospawnwithinafewweeksonceyouapproximatetheirnaturalhabitat. IndianAlmondLeaves IndianAlmondleavesareapopularsourceofhumicsubstancesthathavebecomeveryeasytoobtainlately.Bettakeepersarefindingjusthowhelpfulplanttanninsareforfishhealth.Bettasaren’texactlyblackwaterfishbuttheyarefoundinacidic,tropicalwatersthatarefullofplantdebris.Theywillalsothriveinblackwaterconditions. Betta/ShrimpLeaves104"-6"PremiumCatappaIndianAlmondLeavesNatural... IndianAlmondLeaves/Catappa10PackOrganicNaturalAddsTanninsBlackWater $8.94 BuyonAmazon IndianAlmondleavesaresimpletouse:justscatterafewonthetankbottom.Theymayfloatatfirstforafewdays;aquickboilortearinguptheleavessometimesaidsinsinking.Otherwiseyou’llsimplyhavetobepatient. Theleavesaregoodforaboutamonthuntiltheyneedreplacing.Inasmallaquarium(10gallonsandunder)beverycautiouswithhowmanyleavesyouaddbecausetheyarequitepotent.Youcanalsoboiltheleavestocreateyourownblackwaterconditionerifyoudon’tlikethelookofleaflitterorwanttobemorepreciseinyourdosing. Lastly,ifyou’veaddedafewandafterafewweeksyouseeyourwaterbeginningtoclearwithouthavingdoneawaterchangeit’slikelyyourslow-releaseIndianAlmondleavesareoutoftannins. Driftwood Aquariumdriftwoodisanothermajorsourceofplanttannins.Givenhowmuchvolumewoodhasit’sprettymuchessentialforablackwateraquarium.Ifyouchoosetherightkindofwoodyou’llhaveaslowreleasesourcethatcanlastmonthstoyearsatatime. Notalldriftwoodworkswellforthispurpose.Stayawayfromchollawoodandotherpale,quicklydecaying“wood.”Instead,wewantlargepiecesofdarkwood. SomeofthebestwoodforblackwatertanksareMalaysianDriftwoodandMopaniwood.Thesetypesofdriftwoodaredenseandtypicallysinkimmediatelyaswell,makingaquascapingthatmucheasier. Unfortunately,driftwoodcanbealittlepriceyasit’ssoldbyweight.Ialwaysrecommendbuyingpetstoredriftwoodthoughbecausewildpiecescancreatemoreproblemsthantheyareworth. Theymayhavepollutionstoredwithin,comefromtreesfulloftoxicsubstances,ormaycontainsnails,leeches,parasites,andotherhitchhikers.Unlessyoucanidentifyyourwilddriftwoodwithcertaintyandthentreatitproperly(viaboilingorextensivedrying),it’snotworththetrouble. FiltrationintheBlackwaterAquarium Settingupfiltrationforablackwateraquariumisalittlemorechallengingthaninatypicaltank.Wewantahighlevelofdissolvedorganicmaterialinthewater.Butmostaquariumfiltersaredesignedtopulloutandneutralizetheseagents,whichwouldruintheblackwatereffect. Youcanuseatypicalpowerorcanisterfilterinablackwateraquarium.Butremembertoremovetheactivatedcarbonbeforeturningiton.Activatedcarbonisabroadspectrumdissolvedorganicmoleculeabsorber. Activatedcarbon(charcoal)doesn’tselectforwhatwewantanddon’twant.Plus,allofthoseplanttanninswouldquicklyoverloaditandkeepitfromabsorbingtheactualproblemcompounds. Inablackwateraquarium,plantsandasubstratefullofmicrobiallifedoalotoftheheavylifting.Ifyoudon’twanttogrowliveplantsoryouhaveahighfishbioload,thenregularwaterchangesarethebestwaytokeepupwiththeaccumulationofnitrogenouswaste(ammonia,nitrite,nitrate). Insteadofactivatedcarbonwecanusehandfulsofpeatinthepowerorcanisterfilter’smediacompartment.Itmaytakesomeexperimentationtofigureouthowmuchpeattoaddsinceitcanvaryintanninrichness.Thesizeofyourmediacompartmentandfilterflowwillalsodeterminehoweffectivepeatis. Simplystartwithasmallamountinthesamemediapouchthatyou’duseforactivatedcarbonoranyotherloosefiltermedia.Notethecolorchange,monitorthewaterconditionsforafewdays,andaddmoreorlesspeatasrequired. WaterChanges Wealsoneedtospendtimeconsideringthesourceofourwaterwhenmaintainingablackwateraquarium.Thesebodiesofwaterarenotonlyrichinorganicsbutareverylowindissolvedminerals. Thegeneralhardness(GH)andcarbonatehardness(KH)ofblackwaterenvironmentsshouldbeinthe2to5degreerange,whichisextremelylowindissolvedminerals. Themainproblemisthatmosttapwatertendstobefairlytohighlyalkalineandoftenmineralized.Sowecan’tusestandardtapwaterwhenperformingwaterchangeswithoutsometreatment.Twocommonwaystotreatitisbyusingreverseosmosis(RO)ordistilledwater. Reverseosmosisistheprocessofforcingwaterthroughspecializedmembranesthatpermitthepassageofwatermoleculesbutnotothermolecules.Theresultisultrapurewaterasneeded. SomehomeshaveROunitsinstalledbecausethewatertastesbetter,mineralsdon’taccumulateinthepipes,andsoftwaterisnicertobatheinandcleanwith.Ifyoudon’thaveahomeROunitinstalledthenyoucanusepartialorfulldistilledwaterwhenrefillingyourblackwateraquarium. You’llwantatleasta50%ratiooftaptodistilledwatertocutdownonthehardness.Butrememberthatanyevaporationreducesthewaterlevelandincreasestheconcentrationofdissolvedmineralsastheyareleftbehind. Ifyoudon’ttopoffthetanktoaccountforevaporationandthendowaterchangesyou’llstillseeaslowcreepupwardsinGHandKH(andthereforepH).Ifyoudon’thaveconstantaccesstoROwaterasmallerblackwateraquariummaybeeasiertomaintainlongtermsinceyoucanprovideasteadyquantityofdistilledwatereasilyandcheaplyenough. SomeaquaristsadvocateusinghardnessabsorbingresinsbutIdon’trecommendtheseunlessyouhaveliterallynootheroptions.Theseresinsdoworkwell. Buttheproblemisthattheyreplacecalciumandmagnesiumionswithsodiumfromsalt,whichisn’tnecessarilybetter.Thesewatersarealsosupposedtobelowinsodium.Sousingpurifiedwaterisbetterforblackwatertanks. BlackwaterAquariumPlants Plantsareanothersourceofplanttannins.Ifyouseedecayingleavesordeadstemsit’sagoodideatosimplyleavetheminplaceratherthanremovingthem.TheymaylookabituntidybutwithIndianAlmondleavesanddriftwoodinplacetheyfitrightintotheblackwaterbiotope. Weneedtochooseourplantscarefullybecauseblackwaterconditionscanbechallengingforsometogrow.Thedarkwatersinhibitlightpenetration,meaningmosthighlightandcarpetingplantswon’twork.Ontheotherhand,thedarkerwateralsoinhibitsalgaegrowth,helpingthetankstaytidierlooking. Manypopularplantscanbefoundinblackwaterstreamsandrivers.TheseincludeAmazonSwordplants(Echinodorussp.),Hygrophilaplants(Hygrophilasp.),PygmyChainSwords(Helanthiumtenellum),JavaMoss(Vesiculariadubyana),JavaFern(Microsorumpteropus),Anubias,andCryptocoryne. SHUPATFullSpectrumAquariumLight,withAluminumAlloyShellExtendable... ULTRABRIGHTLEDLIGHT:thisaquariumledlightis...ADJUSTABLEBRACKETS:thefishtanklightcomes...TWOLIGHTCOLORMODES:thisaquariumlighthastwo... BuyonAmazon Mostoftheseplantsarealsotolerantoflowlighttomoderatelightingconditions;exactlywhatyou’dexpectinthedarkcoloredwaterofthesetanks.Still,youwillneedtoprovidefull-spectrumlightingformostoftheseplantstodowell.Especiallyconsideringthelightlevelsarealreadyreduced. Rememberthatnotallaquariumlightsarecreatedequally.Aquariumplantsneedlightthat’sphotosyntheticallyactiveradiation(PAR).Standardincandescentandfluorescentfixturesdon’tputoutnearlyenoughPARtobeginwithandtheproblemisevenworseinablackwatertank. Fortunately,carbondioxidesupplementationisn’treallyneededinablackwateraquarium.Mostoftheseplantsgrowratherslowlytobeginwith. Also,theslowdecayoforganicmatterinthewatercolumnandsubstratecontributestocarbondioxide.FishrespirationalsoprovidestheplantswithenoughCO2inmostcases. Mostoftheseplantsarefromequatorialregionsandthriveinverywarmconditions(temperaturesof78-86℉).Fortunately,mostblackwaterfishalsoprefertheseconditions. Themajorityofaquariumplantsprefercoolerconditions,lessacidity,andabitmoremineralization.Thatsaid,eachoftheseplantsalsogrowsinmoretemperateconditions. BlackwateraquariumsalsomakefantasticWalstadtanksifyoulikeliveplants.OneofthemainbenefitstorunningaWalstadaquariumisthatyouwon’tneedafiltersincethelushplantgrowthconsumesallofthefishwaste.Onceit’sfullyestablishedyoumaynotevenneedtodowaterchanges–simplytopoffthetankasitevaporates. Walstadaquariumsuseregularpottingsoilasasubstrate.Andmostofthesehavepeat,sphagnummoss,wormcastings,andothersourcesofpartiallydecomposedorganicmatter. Onceyoucapyoursubstratewithalayerofsandorgravelyouhaveasteadysourceofplanttanninsaswellasanidealsubstrateforrichplantgrowth.Walstadtanks,especiallywhenbrandnew,areoftenteacoloredasaresult. Still,you’llstillneedtousetherightkindofwatertoavoidmineralaccumulation(seebelow)overtime.Thesoilsubstratewilleventuallybecomeexhaustedwithinayearorthreeandneedreplacement. FishforaBlackwaterAquarium Thenumberoffishsuitableforablackwateraquariumislargerthanyoumightexpect!Manypopularaquariumfishwereoriginallydiscoveredinblackwaterenvironments.Whilemostofthemhaveacclimatedtothemorealkalineconditionsfoundinhomesystemstheystilldomuchbetterinacidicconditions. SomeofthemostcommonblackwaterfishincludeNeonandCardinalTetras,Corydoras,Otocinclus,Discus,Angelfish,BlueRams,KuhliLoaches,andCherryBarbs.AllofthesefisharedifficulttoimpossibletobreedinalkalinepHchemistry. SomelesscommonbutstilleasytofindanimalsincludeChiliRasboras(Borarasmerah),Earth-eaterCichlids(Geophagussp.),ApistogrammaDwarfCichlids,andBeeShrimp(Caridinacantonensis).ChocolateGouramis,SparklingGouramis,andBettasalsothriveinlowpHwaters. Thecharacin(Tetra)familyisoneofthemostsuccessfulgroupsofblackwaterfishonearth.WhileTetrasarebyfarthemostcommonmemberstherearealsosomeoutsized(andtoothy)fishavailable. Pacus,Piranha,andSilverDollarsareallblackwaterfishaswell.Justkeepinmindthatthesefishhavespecificdietaryneedsandgrowverylarge.SilverDollarsandpacusarebothstrictvegetariansthatwilleatanyaquariumplantsaswellashardterrestrialvegetableslikecucumbersandevennuts! SilverDollarsaremanageablebutstilllarge(6-10inches)andneedtobekeptinschools.Pacuscangrownearly3feetlongandweighdozensofpounds. Andtheyareschoolingfishsothinkcarefullyaboutwhetheryouwantone(orseveral)becauseit’snotveryeasyfindingahomeforanadultPacu.AndtheinfamousPiranhaspeciesareallmediumtolargeinsize,schooling,andcarnivorous. IfyourpHisn’tsuperacidic(pH6.0-7.0)thelistexpandsevenfurther.Mostaquariumfishwilldojustfineinslightlyacidictoneutralwater.GuppiesandotherLivebearersworknicely,aswillBarbs,Cichlids,andjustaboutanythingelsethatdoesn’trequirealkalineconditions. Theonlyrealchallengeareinvertebrates.Nearlyallfreshwaterinvertebrateshavehardshellscreatedfromcalciumcarbonateandotherminerals.Blackwaterconditionstendtoleachawayatthemineralsoftheirshells,killingthemovertime. Onlyafewsnailsandshrimparespecificallyadaptedtotheseconditions.MalaysianTrumpetSnailsandBeeShrimpdowell,asdoBambooShrimp(Atyopsismoluccensis). GoodFishandInvertebratesforaBlackwaterAquarium: MostTetras,especiallyNeonandCardinalTetrasSilverDollarsandPacusDiscus,Angelfish,andUarusGuppiesandEndler’sLivebearersBettasandGouramisBlueRams,Apistogramma,Kribensis,andotherDwarfCichlidsChiliRasboras,CherryBarbs,andmanysmallCyprinidsKuhliLoaches,Corydoras,Plecostomus,Otocinclus,andothersoftwaterCatfishBeeShrimp,BambooShrimp,MalaysianTrumpetSnails,andotherblackwater-specificinvertebrates PoorFishandInvertebratesforaBlackwaterAquarium AfricanCichlidsDanios,Platies,Swordtails,Mollies,andotherneutraltoalkalinepHfish Mostinvertebrates Conclusion Blackwateraquariumsareunique,challenging,butinmyexperience,wellworththeeffort.Thefishpositivelyglowincolorwhenplacedinadimlylittankwithdarkwater.Theyarealsomuchmorelikelytobreedanddisplayothernaturalbehaviors. Theseaquariumsdotakemoreefforttobalancetheappropriatewaterconditions.Butwiththeknowledgeinthisguideyouhaveexactlywhatyouneedtosucceed! XeniaCoralCare,Information,&PicturesFeatherDusterWormCare,Information,&Pictures AboutJasonRoberts Jasonisanaquariumfanaticthathasbeenafishhobbyistforalmostthreedecades. LeaveaCommentCancelreplyCommentName Email AmazonAffiliateDisclosure BuildYourAquarium.comisaparticipantintheAmazonServicesLLCAssociatesProgram,anaffiliateadvertisingprogramdesignedtoprovideameansforsitestoearnadvertisingfeesbyadvertisingandlinkingtoAmazon.com. BYADisclosure BuildYourAquarium.comdoesnotintendtoprovideveterinaryadvice.Thecontentonthisblogisnotasubstituteforveterinaryadvice.Alwaysseekadvicefromacertifiedveterinarianinacaseofemergency. ClickHeretoSeeOurPrivacyPolicy ContactUs Havequestionsthatyoudon’tseeansweredonoursite?Feelfreetocontactusandwewillgetbacktoyouassoonaspossible!