Fishlover94
Aquarium Advice Activist
I want to do a Congo River Biotope, with blackwater. But I don't want it to be to black blackwater will Brightwell Aquatics Blackwater Clear help?
I'm in a catch 22
- Thread starter Fishlover94
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Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by you want a blackwater tank but you don't want blackwater?
A blackwater tank simply has tannins from dead plants or driftwood in. The more tannins in the water, the darker the colour. If you don't want really dark water, have less tannins.
You can control the amount of tannins in the water by doing water changes or reducing the amount of wood and other things that stain the water brown. You can make up blackwater in a spare container/ tank and mix it with tap water to make a lighter coloured water.
Blackwater extracts are concentrated tannins and you use a little bit to make the water tea coloured, or a lot to make it more like coffee.
Unless you are trying to breed wild caught fishes from blackwater environments, you don't need tannins in the water.
A blackwater tank simply has tannins from dead plants or driftwood in. The more tannins in the water, the darker the colour. If you don't want really dark water, have less tannins.
You can control the amount of tannins in the water by doing water changes or reducing the amount of wood and other things that stain the water brown. You can make up blackwater in a spare container/ tank and mix it with tap water to make a lighter coloured water.
Blackwater extracts are concentrated tannins and you use a little bit to make the water tea coloured, or a lot to make it more like coffee.
Unless you are trying to breed wild caught fishes from blackwater environments, you don't need tannins in the water.
OP
OP
Fishlover94
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'm trying to breed Cardinal Tetras I want a light Blackwater tank not reall dark.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm not familiar with the particular product but water changes will help reduce the darkness ( and encourage the fish to spawn) or use items that don't turn the water as dark (i.e. Indian Almond Leaves, Alder Cones ). With Tetras, you don't necessarily need dark water to get the to spawn. They spawn close to sunrise and the eggs are photosensitive so they shouldn't be exposed to light. Also, Cardinals do not come from dark water. There are many videos on Youtube with Cardinal tetras in the wild and their water is clear.
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you are trying to breed cardinal tetras, use some peat moss and add it to a bucket/ container of distilled water, rain water or reverse osmosis water. Let the water go dark in colour then set up a 2 foot tank with the black water. Cardinal tetra eggs (and most other tetras) need very soft water to hatch. If the GH is above 10-20ppm, the eggs won't hatch so distilled or rain water (which has 0ppm GH) is best for breeding them.
You want the pH between 6.0 & 7.0.
Have a thin layer of sand or gravel on the bottom and add a clump of Java Moss or an artificial spawning mop. Add an established air operated sponge filter to keep the water clean and free of ammonia, and a heater if required to keep the water warm.
Have a coverglass for the tank to stop the fish jumping out.
Have the back and sides of the tank covered in dark card. Have a piece of dark card for the front too but don't put it on until after the adults have bred and been removed. The dark card on all sides is to stop light getting to the eggs, which as Andy said, the light harms the eggs and stops them hatching. Most tetra eggs are photosensitive. Do not have a light above the breeding tank either. Just room light.
The water in the holding tank should have the same pH and similar GH as the breeding tank but it doesn't need the blackwater tannins.
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Feed the adults 3-5 times a day for at least 2 (preferably 4) weeks before breeding them. This allows the fish to gain some weight and develop good quality gametes (eggs & sperm). Do big regular water changes and gravel cleaning when feeding more, so the tank stays clean.
Separate males and females for 5 days before breeding and then put 1 pair in the breeding tank. Add the female first and the male an hour later. This gives the female a chance to explore a bit and know where things are before the male is introduced. Try to add them in the afternoon and they usually breed the following morning. Sunlight can stimulate fish and get them going. Having the curtains open and putting the breeding tank somewhere so it gets morning sun will help. Leave them for 24-48 hours and then remove the adults. You should be able to tell when they have finished breeding because the female will be noticeably slimmer and the male will no longer be driving her towards the plants.
The adult fish can be fed while in the breeding tank but don't feed any live foods to the adults because they could harbor parasites like hydra that eat baby fish. You should also check the plants for hydra before adding them. Hydra are small freshwater anemone type creatures that eat baby fish.
After they have bred, remove the adult fish and put the card over the front of the tank. Leave it covered and in the dark until you see babies hanging from the side of the glass. The babies are small slim and see through. They take a few days to hatch and then hang on the sides of the tank for a few more days before becoming free swimming. You start feeding them when they start swimming. The following link has information on culturing food for baby fish and is worth a read if you don't know how to culture green water or infusoria.
After the parents have bred and before you cover the front of the tank, you can reduce the water level in the tank so it is 4-6 inches high. Make sure there is enough water for the filter and heater to work properly. This means there is less water for the baby fish to move around in when they first hatch and this means they won't have to swim as far to find food. As the babies grow, you can add a bit more water to slowly fill the tank and give them more room. During the first 2 weeks lots of baby fish starve because they can't find the food or it is too big for them. Having a lower water level and using green water and infusoria normally prevents this from happening.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f82/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish-380381.html#post3578561
You want the pH between 6.0 & 7.0.
Have a thin layer of sand or gravel on the bottom and add a clump of Java Moss or an artificial spawning mop. Add an established air operated sponge filter to keep the water clean and free of ammonia, and a heater if required to keep the water warm.
Have a coverglass for the tank to stop the fish jumping out.
Have the back and sides of the tank covered in dark card. Have a piece of dark card for the front too but don't put it on until after the adults have bred and been removed. The dark card on all sides is to stop light getting to the eggs, which as Andy said, the light harms the eggs and stops them hatching. Most tetra eggs are photosensitive. Do not have a light above the breeding tank either. Just room light.
The water in the holding tank should have the same pH and similar GH as the breeding tank but it doesn't need the blackwater tannins.
-----------------
Feed the adults 3-5 times a day for at least 2 (preferably 4) weeks before breeding them. This allows the fish to gain some weight and develop good quality gametes (eggs & sperm). Do big regular water changes and gravel cleaning when feeding more, so the tank stays clean.
Separate males and females for 5 days before breeding and then put 1 pair in the breeding tank. Add the female first and the male an hour later. This gives the female a chance to explore a bit and know where things are before the male is introduced. Try to add them in the afternoon and they usually breed the following morning. Sunlight can stimulate fish and get them going. Having the curtains open and putting the breeding tank somewhere so it gets morning sun will help. Leave them for 24-48 hours and then remove the adults. You should be able to tell when they have finished breeding because the female will be noticeably slimmer and the male will no longer be driving her towards the plants.
The adult fish can be fed while in the breeding tank but don't feed any live foods to the adults because they could harbor parasites like hydra that eat baby fish. You should also check the plants for hydra before adding them. Hydra are small freshwater anemone type creatures that eat baby fish.
After they have bred, remove the adult fish and put the card over the front of the tank. Leave it covered and in the dark until you see babies hanging from the side of the glass. The babies are small slim and see through. They take a few days to hatch and then hang on the sides of the tank for a few more days before becoming free swimming. You start feeding them when they start swimming. The following link has information on culturing food for baby fish and is worth a read if you don't know how to culture green water or infusoria.
After the parents have bred and before you cover the front of the tank, you can reduce the water level in the tank so it is 4-6 inches high. Make sure there is enough water for the filter and heater to work properly. This means there is less water for the baby fish to move around in when they first hatch and this means they won't have to swim as far to find food. As the babies grow, you can add a bit more water to slowly fill the tank and give them more room. During the first 2 weeks lots of baby fish starve because they can't find the food or it is too big for them. Having a lower water level and using green water and infusoria normally prevents this from happening.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f82/back-to-basics-when-breeding-fish-380381.html#post3578561
