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![]() | Black Water Extract |
coop![]() Enthusiast Posts: 168 Kudos: 60 Votes: 2 Registered: 25-Jan-2006 ![]() ![]() | i was wondering whether it would be alright to add some tetra blackwater extract to my tank. here are the details 55 gal South American theme, fauna: 2 german blue rams 3 peruvian angelfish 1 bushynose catfish 9 glowlight tetras and 9 black neon tetras 3 checkerboard cchlids 2 pearl gouramis (pearls are soon to be sold so that i can build up my schools) flora foreground: lilaeopsis brasiliences Eleocharis parvula foreground/background plants: sagittaria simulata Hygrophila difformis nomaphilia stricta Hygrophila polysperma Rotala wallichii ornamental plants: 1 echinodors amazonicus 1 echinodorus parviflorus 1 anubias nana and soon to have some red hygro or sumthin so it wont bother any of the inhabitants will it? |
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sirbooks![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004 ![]() ![]() ![]() | You could certainly add some. If you're going to add it to RO or DI water to create a lower pH and hardness environment, it'll work fine. Won't really bring down pH and hardness if levels of each are high, though. In that situation the most you'll get from the extract is cloudier water. |
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sham![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004 ![]() ![]() | It's not harmful unless you have extremely soft water without any buffers but it's not likely to be very helpful. You'd gain alot more for alot cheaper by adding a very small amount of peat granules. The liquid blackwater products are just an expensive version that breaks down or is removed by your chemical filtration within a day or 2. Peat granules would continue to give off the same things as the blackwater extract for probably several weeks. Too much peat though will give you a black tank and possibly drop the ph depending how hard your water is so use with care. |
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Cup_of_Lifenoodles![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004 ![]() ![]() | Black water extract is really just a sham. If you're looking to leech tannic acid into your water, you may as well just driftwood, peat or aquarium safe leaf litter, though, really, it doesn't reduce TDSs at all; if you're looking to soften your water, RO is the way to go. |
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coop![]() Enthusiast Posts: 168 Kudos: 60 Votes: 2 Registered: 25-Jan-2006 ![]() ![]() | i was looking to get the tetra brand blackwater extract because my freind has it and it makes the water a nice brown colour, it keeps the PH at around 6.0 and it makes his plants much more lush and beutiful(because it also has added vitamins minirals and trace elements) i have rainwater tanks wich i use for the aquariums, wich is neutral. i also have driftwood in my tank but it doesnt make a difference. i also heard thet it makes your water much more benificial or its inhabitants and lowers the susceptability of disease in your fish. |
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Cup_of_Lifenoodles![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004 ![]() ![]() | The near entirety of the supposed benefits to tannic acids are more or less mere myths. There is nothing in blackwater extract that would do a better job as far as plant nutrition goes than a bottle of micros. Similarly, it certainly does not make your pH more stable; in fact, due to it's uneven dispersion and pH altering qualities, it in fact makes water less hydronically (word?) stable. Furthermore, its supposed cure-all qualities only really apply to wild-caught black water fishes that have yet to adapt to less acidic water conditions. |
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sham![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004 ![]() ![]() | If your already using rainwater then peat, driftwood, and blackwater extract are a good way to crash your ph and kill your fish. Make sure the kh of your water is at least 3-5 and use alot of caution if you play around with such things. You can quite easily drop the ph down to or possibly even below 5.0 which could kill quite a few species of fish. It's not going to help your plants any, it may help your fish a little but not enough to be worth the effort, so your only reason is if you like the color. In that case like I said just add a small handful of peat and you'll achieve the same thing. Any chemical filtration though will remove the color from the water no matter what you use to add the tannins. That means to accomplish stained water you can't run carbon or anything along those lines. |
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coop![]() Enthusiast Posts: 168 Kudos: 60 Votes: 2 Registered: 25-Jan-2006 ![]() ![]() | the black water extract im talking about has added vitamins minerals trace elements and beneficial bacteria in it also. it stays brown for over a week and seems to drop the ph no lower than 6.0(might be a weeker form). the plant fertilizers you get around hear are pretty crappy but this seams to work the best. impretty sure the fact that it is vitamin an mineraly rich is the reason for it making your fish look nicer and healthier PH 7.0 kh 40ppm(how do you get 3-5 kh? my test is measured in ppm) i dont run carbons anyway. |
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sham![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004 ![]() ![]() | Nearly all test kits I've used measure in degrees and then give the conversion to ppm so generally that's what I use and mostly seem to see on the internet. 1degree=~17ppm so your water is around 2dkh(degrees carbonate hardness). That's extremely soft and your ph will drop lower than 6 if you use too much of any product. The amount it drops the ph has to do with the level of your kh. So if you have my water which is around 18dkh you can dump the whole bottle in and probably not budge it even .1 from the usual 8.2ph it tests at. If you did that to your tank you could end up with a surprisingly low ph. Generally it's recommended to maintain a kh of at least 3-5 or just the acids normally found in your tank can risk a ph crash. Also adding products that lower the ph to water already that soft is playing with fire. You better know what your doing before you attempt it. Most of the vitamins in those products are naturally found in peat anyway. They just extract it from the peat into a concentrated form and sell it for a much larger profit. Which is why everyone is pretty much saying it's a waste of money. A box of peat granules or bag of straight peat moss(gotta watch for additives when doing that) will last you many more months for a lower price and give you all the same benefits.. and risks... |
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Cup_of_Lifenoodles![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Fish Guru Posts: 2755 Kudos: 1957 Votes: 30 Registered: 09-Sep-2004 ![]() ![]() | There is no way you cannot obtain at least one brand of solid micronutrient fert; even the most commonplace stores sell them and they definitely work better than any amount of nutrient additive that is available in BAE. As stated, if want consistent, pH dropping, water staining mechanisms, go with peat. |
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coop![]() Enthusiast Posts: 168 Kudos: 60 Votes: 2 Registered: 25-Jan-2006 ![]() ![]() | ok, m not going to add the blackwater extract(only$4 anyway) ive got m lfs to order in plant ferts monthly just for me.i'd like to know what you think of thes products that im gonna try: plant food a new plant food that i bought that contains N,P,K (2.6,o,5.0)with chelates of iron, copper, manganese, boran and zinc. plus bio-boosterand JBL 7 balls. and a vitamin and mineral fish food suplement to keep my fish at best health. |
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