Blackwater aquarium questions

[Barry Tetra]

Hi me again

my questions;
1. Do I have to remove indian almond leaves after they rotten?
2. How do I maintain the same pH after water changes?
3. How do I take a picture without the tank glass mirroring my face?
4. Is there anyway to hide the airstone and filter? it looks ugly.

as of rightnow there are 6 discuses in this 53 gal tank.

@Colin_T

Also what is this thing that stuck on the glasses after I add the leaves in?

 

[CassCats]

1) you can choose to leave the leaves to break down naturally or remove them if you wish. I leave mine.
Ive got some leaves down to the bare skeleton which is pretty cool, my farlowella catfish grazed them down to nothing.

2) test your pH in the tank and test your tap, what's the difference between the results?
You could choose to keep a container of fresh water with some leaves to maintain it. If you are going for the tannin look but don't want the pH issue if your water swings a lot, you could brew plain unflavored rooibos tea and simply add a couple leaves to the tank as an accent.

3) tilt your camera at an angle to see which leaves the least reflection, or wait til dark to take photos and turn off the room lights to take a photo of it--no reflection at night.

4) is it possible to move the filter behind the tallest part of you driftwood?

 

[Barry Tetra]

Thanks for replying!

what's the difference between the results?

7.6 and 5.0 after

is it possible to move the filter behind the tallest part of you driftwood?

I'll try

Do decaying leaves increased Nitrate though?

 

[Colin_T]

You will have to prepare water before adding it to the tank. Get a plastic container and fill it with tap water. Aerate it and dechlorinate it if you have chlorine in it. Add some leaves and leave it until the pH is where you want it. Then use it for water changes.

If you have chloramine in the tap water, aerate the tap water and add leaves or pH down. When it is ready to use, dechlorinate it and aerate for 30 minutes, then use it for water changes.

If the pH takes a while to drop, use some sodium biphosphate (available from pet shops as "pH down") and that will drop the pH in minutes. Allow the water to aerate for 24 hours after adding sodium biphosphate to make sure the pH has stabilised.

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Have the camera on an angle to the aquarium, preferably slightly higher than the subject you are photographing.

Wear dark clothes so the camera doesn't pick up your reflection as readily.

Darken the room but leave the tank lights on.

Practice, practice, practice.

Digital cameras are great because you don't have to get film developed and you can snap away to your heart's content. Then pick out the nice ones.

Most professional photographers normally use less than 5% of the photos they take, the rest get stored or dumped.

 

[Guyb93]

Iv been long thinking of converting to black water my ph is currently 6.5 straight from tap , do you guys add the wood leaves and such straight to the tank ? My plan was to add them to the filter would this tamper with the bacteria in there

 

[CassCats]

Iv been long thinking of converting to black water my ph is currently 6.5 straight from tap , do you guys add the wood leaves and such straight to the tank ? My plan was to add them to the filter would this tamper with the bacteria in there

I add mine into the tank as they offer invaluable shelter and biofilm for the fish. Ive got some fish who are strict biofilm grazers, so leaf litter is an important food source for some of mine. No issues with bacteria in the filter.

@Barry Tetra if you are going for the tannin look but want to avoid a pH swing, you can choose to use Rooibos tea for tannins instead, it does not affect your pH. I use this in my blackwater.

 

[Barry Tetra]

So I found a lot of Indian almond leaves in the park and there are stray dogs and cats all over the park, how do you sanitize the leaves if dogs and cats pee on it?

Normally I boiled the leaves before put it in the tank.

@NCaquatics @Colin_T

 

[CassCats]

I think to be safe, rinse them very very well, and then boil them.

Avoid any on the ground in shady dirt covered areas or sand areas (cats will prefer to use those areas as washroom spots)

And avoid any at the immediate base of trees especially (dogs)

 

[Barry Tetra]

@NCaquatics I forgot to thank you for your advise especially the tannin part, MY KUHLI LOACHES ARE WELL NOW!

Anyway I still have a questions about the filter of 53 US gal
as of right now I use a huge sponge filter for the tank but I’m not sure if the filter can handle 6 discus poops, what are you using for your 55 gal?

 

[CassCats]

@NCaquatics I forgot to thank you for your advise especially the tannin part, MY KUHLI LOACHES ARE WELL NOW!

Anyway I still have a questions about the filter of 53 US gal
as of right now I use a huge sponge filter for the tank but I’m not sure if the filter can handle 6 discus poops, what are you using for your 55 gal?

My 55 gallon i am using a canister filter and a sponge filter, but the sponge will probably be moved elsewhere because the canister is enough. The sponge is cycled as it was from another tank, the canister isn't yet.

 

[Barry Tetra]

My 55 gallon i am using a canister filter and a sponge filter, but the sponge will probably be moved elsewhere because the canister is enough. The sponge is cycled as it was from another tank, the canister isn't yet.

I'm now ordering cannisters from eBay.

Is it safe to wear rubber gloves during water changes? Blackwater seems to bit my hand during water changes now my fingers turn red and itching.

 

[Colin_T]

Is it safe to wear rubber gloves during water changes? Blackwater seems to bit my hand during water changes now my fingers turn red and itching.

Yes it's safe to wear rubber gloves. Just buy a new pair of rubber gloves like you use for washing the dishes and use them for the fish tank. Give them a rinse under tap water when you first get them.

If your hands are getting itchy and turning red after working in the tank, you are having an allergic reaction to something in it, probably the tannins from the wood.

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On a side note, make sure you wear rubber gloves when doing taxidermy and using formaldehyde because it can cause problems to your skin too.

 

[Barry Tetra]

Yes it's safe to wear rubber gloves. Just buy a new pair of rubber gloves like you use for washing the dishes and use them for the fish tank. Give them a rinse under tap water when you first get them.

If your hands are getting itchy and turning red after working in the tank, you are having an allergic reaction to something in it, probably the tannins from the wood.

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On a side note, make sure you wear rubber gloves when doing taxidermy and using formaldehyde because it can cause problems to your skin too.

My finger peeling too and it stings...

And of course I wear rubber gloves during stuffing because I’m scared of blood and guts.

anyway I have a quastions (again)
My silver dollar have cloudy eyes what kind of med should I use?

 

[Colin_T]

Cloudy eyes are usually caused by poor water quality or something in the water irritating the fish.

Do big daily water changes for a week and if there's no improvement after 2 days, add some salt (1-2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres of water).

If the silver dollar is in the tank with the blackwater that irritates your skin, there is something in that tank causing problems, possibly new driftwood.

 

[Barry Tetra]

@Colin_T @NCaquatics
Is this better than the original picture?
Also too much tannin?