Blackwater Tank Maintenance

[KevinZ]

How do you change blackwater aquarium ?
I know that you need same PH as the Aquarium before Do it, but how do i Make my Tap Water PH Equal to my Aquarium PH ?
Or do you think Indian Almond Leaf Extract (Boil Water With Indian Almond leaf) will Bring the PH down and Equal to my Aquarium ?
Any idea ? Pls help

Edit : i Copy this Method From a Website in case i dont explain clearly enough about Indian Almond Leaf extract, I Cant Speak English at all. my bad

2. INDIAN ALMOND TEA : You can make Indian Almond Tea using either Indian Almond Teabags or simply using the leaves directly. Most teabags contain only one to one and a half leaf. Put the teabag or a large leaf crumpled up into a cup, and add hot water. Leave it to cool. Once cooled the water in the cup will have the appearance of strong tea. Add what you need into the tank, and keep the rest (together with the leaf or the teabag) in the refrigerator.

How To Use Indian Almond Leaves ( Terminalia Catappa )

Bettawan specialise in Thai Indian Almond Leaves. Buy Indian Almond Leaves, Thai Banana Leaf and other Aquatic Goods through our online store. Information on how to use Indian Almond Leaves in your aquarium.

m.bettawan.com

 

[dmpfishlover]

It is my understanding that driftwood and leaves, such as Indian Almond Leaves, will add tannins to the water and might lower the pH of the water some, but not by any significant amount. What is the pH of your water coming out of your Tap? Have you measured it, and do you know what it is? Are you attempting to lower the pH of your water significantly? If so, I wouldn't recommend this. Attempting to change the pH of your water can change other water parameters as a result, and this can be bad for any fish. More important than your pH is the hardness (GH) of your water. Are you attempting to create a Blackwater Aquarium Environment because you have specific fish in mind that you would like to keep? If this is the case, you may want to consider a different approach, and first determine what your GH and pH are coming out of your tap and then figure out what species of fish are suited to these water parameters.

 

[KevinZ]

Ah,, i have blackwater aquarium and i want to do water change's but eventually the tannins from leaves will gone and my water will be clear again right ? So i might need to do the method to keep the water tan. By doing the method will my PH keep goes down or stay ?

And if i doing a water change. Should i Equal my Tab Water with the PH of the Aquarium or if i mix it with my tap water it will mixed and the PH will be the same after time ? I can equal the PH with the aquarium but i will need some Bucket to fill with ( and i dont want to do that if i dont have to ) i was going to do WC today but i can't since My Tap PH is 7.1 and My Blackwater aquarium is 6.6 i dont want to make a mistake by doing WC with My Tap water and distrub the Parameter.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Do you already have fish in the tank? How long has the tank been set up? Is your tank fully Cycled (meaning if you were to measure Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrates... would your Ammonia and Nitrite results both be "0"? and your Nitrates results be higher than "0"?)

 

[KevinZ]

Yes, its 10 days Old tank. Seeding Cycle
Ammonia 0.0 ppm
Nitrite 0.0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
PH : 6.6
Water Soft To Moderate Water
I dont know how to check Water hardness without a kit and my water company only said
"soft - Moderate hardness" i tried to contact The customer service to let me know but thats all they gave me since i am only 17 Y/O they think i doing some sort of observation so they dont want to "serve" me and Never answer my Call Since then

 

[dmpfishlover]

What do you mean by "Seeding Cycle"? Are you dosing Ammonia? Do you have live plants in the tank? Are there any fish in the tank yet?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

In all of my experiences, driftwood will only lower the pH, if you have a LOT in a small tank.

 

[KevinZ]

What do you mean by "Seeding Cycle"? Are you dosing Ammonia? Do you have live plants in the tank? Are there any fish in the tank yet?

I let my Sponge filter run on established aquarium ( My 55 Gallon 2 Years Old ) for -+ 1 Month
I add some ammonia to 66 Gallon tank (Which is the one with blackwater) with Some shrimp Pellet then the ammonia shows up after 3 days then i put the sponge Filter along with some Ceramic ring and in 8 Days My ammonia Read is 0.0 Ppm and Nitrate 0.0 Ppm with 20 ppm Nitrate, i did water change before adding my Congo & Corys then today i was doing WC for 55 Gallon tank, and i ended up checking my 66 Chemical Status. And the nitrate alr about 10. Which is too high i think. And i want to do water change but i cant since this is my first blackwater fishtank and i can't change the water without acknowledge and kill all of my fish or stress them

Edit : Tank Live
11 Congo Tetra ( i bought 10 but they accidentally give me 1 more i guess? )
10 Albino Corys
4 RCS to clean my Algae Problems ( i know my Congo Will eat them soon after they matured so going to Move them back to my Shrimp tank )
My Corys are Newly Hatch and Congo at Juvenile Stages .

Plant : Anubias & Brownie Blue Bucephalandra.

 

[dmpfishlover]

In all of my experiences, driftwood will only lower the pH, if you have a LOT in a small tank.

Agreed... This is why I am confused by the differences in pH between the tap and tank water?

 

[KevinZ]

Agreed... This is why I am confused by the differences in pH between the tap and tank water?

I have some indian almond leaves too on the substrate. Thats why my PH drops, here's some picture ( Not the best quality )

 

[dmpfishlover]

How have you created the "Blackwater" so far? Do you have driftwood in the tank? If so, how much? Have you already added Indian Almond Leaves to the tank? These things will "stain" the water by releasing tannins, but usually will not lower the pH of the water significantly. So that I understand... You have tested your tap water and Tank water and the Tap pH is 7.1 and the Tank pH is 6.6? This may not be a significant enough of a difference to worry about, but I would prefer that someone with more experience in pH and Blackwater tanks either verify that I am correct, or advise otherwise..

 

[dmpfishlover]

Ahhh... okay... I was typing while you were posting ... So you have both driftwood and leaves in your tank...

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Agreed... This is why I am confused by the differences in pH between the tap and tank water?

This only happens, if you have a piece of driftwood with a lot of tannis, or if you have a lot of Indian Almond leaves.

 

[dmpfishlover]

Again, I do not have experience with a Blackwater tank, so I would feel more comfortable if someone with experience gives you advice on this.... It is possible that the difference in pH is not significant enough to worry about water changes?? Again, I am not sure on this, and I would prefer if someone with more experience with Blackwater tanks either verify this, or advise otherwise...

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It is possible that the difference in pH is not significant enough to worry about water changes??

That is a possibility... but it only is OK, depending on what fish the OP wants to keep. As you, I have no personal experience with blackwater tanks.

I know @Colin_T and @Byron do though...