The Tint

GIfts...the aquarist's worst nightmare? (Or, "Don't look a gift fish in the..." ahh, whatever...)

Ever received an awkward, yet entirely well-intentioned aquarium-related  "gift" from a non-hobbyist friend for a birthday or other holiday? What prompted this piece today was a discussion with a fishy friend who was on the receiving end of such a "gift" recently. 

He's an Apisto fanatic, and he was stuck trying to figure out what to do with the large bucket of Instant Ocean he received! Yeah. True story. 

"I mean, it's for fish, right?" Ever heard that one before?

So, your birthday is coming up? The Holiday Season is only 4 months away. Maybe this is the year you'll receive the gift that you always wanted! 

Or, maybe not.

Maybe, just maybe, someone you know decided to get you a fish for your birthday, or for the Holiday. On the surface, this is a really nice gesture- a thoughtful idea for the aquarist in the household. Only problem is, usually the person buying the gift is often NOT an aquarist and typically has no clue about what's involved in stocking and maintaining a tank, right?

"Your Uncle and I know you love the fishes, and these reminded us of the ones you see when you swim in the ocean!"

What this means to you is that , despite the fact that your collection consists entirely of rare Apistos you're now the proud owner of a friendly brackish water Puffer!  Or, your docile Tetra species tank now has to host a "cute" baby Arrowana ("The guy at the store said he was super tame!")! Or, the off-brand Chinese-made combination lighted electric siphon hose/algae scrubber device (that's not UL-approved, of course) will now forever be a part of your equipment collection...Or maybe you received a pair of African Cichlids for a "gift" (yeah, it happened to me once) for your reef aquarium! Or, you received a "ill-behaved" baby Sweetlips for your 20 gallon "Nano Cube" marine tank...You get the picture.


"He's so cute, and he's eating pellets!"


Gift cards look away more attractive now, huh?  (Of course, you can always contact us to create a Tannin "virtual gift card" as an option for your fishy friends!)

"That plant would look so nice in your fish tank, so we just had to get it for you!"

Much like the fruitcake of holiday legend, there must have been that one aquarium-related "gift" you received- a fish, plant, coral, or piece of equipment- that totally took you by surprise, and, despite the best intentions of the giver, turned into a pretty serious headache for you. 

"I got it on e-Bay for you...It's gonna really help you do that stuff you do with your tank- and it works in European and Asian electrical outlets, too!"

Did you end up keeping the "fishy fruitcake", or did you somehow manage to trade it back for some Aphyosemion fry and 4 packs of frozen food? And, how did you manage that feat?

Now, we certainly don't want to come off as "boorish" or "ungrateful", but such gifts often create very difficult-to-resolve situations, don't they? What did you do with your new acquisition? Did you end up passing it off to someone else?

Or, did this gift somehow work out and turn into something that you actually kept and enjoyed?

I'm curious. And hey, the Holidays are only FOUR MONTHS AWAY!!

Oh, and my friend? He ended up setting up a saltwater aquarium. I mean, "when life gives you lemons..." Right?

Yeah.

Stay grateful. Stay Appreciative. Stay thankful you have friends that...um, care...

And of course,

Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

"Sacrifices" on the road to fish-geek "success"...Are they really?

The aquarium hobby is just that- a hobby. However, unlike many hobbies, it’s engrossing, all-encompassing, almost obsession-inducing for a lot of people. Many aquarists invest enormous amounts of time, money, and themselves into creating and maintaining tropical fish.

It’s almost scary to the outsider, yet interestingly, just “par for the course” to a fish geek! This enormous resource expenditure often leads to rewards for you as a hobbyist, but only after a surprisingly large number of early-on “sacrifices”, right?

Ever looked at it from this kind of perspective? It’s kind of interesting, if not a bit scary! For example, look at the basics on this “list” of stuff you give up:

Sacrifice #1) Cold hard cash- Yeah, it’s not something easily avoidable for most of us. To build a reef aquarium requires capital. Tanks, gadgets, gear, livestock- even water- all cost money, and that’s a reality that doesn’t end once your tank is up and running, right? I mean, there’s the ongoing expenses of operating aquariums…Electricity, chemicals, filter media, gadgets, fishes, plants…It keeps adding up.

Sacrifice #2- Time- Well, of course, it takes a lot of time to plan, assemble and create a great aquarium or fish room. Now, you can say that it’s not really a “sacrifice”, I suppose- because doing all this stuff is what makes it a hobby. However, I know a lot of fish geeks who make their vacation “tank build week”, or who have given up going to other events because they’re re-plumbing their system, etc. And think about all of the club people who volunteer their time during conferences and club events.They’re giving up something, weather you see it this way or not.

Sacrifice #3- You’re dealing with live animals and it may not work- Yeah, THAT one sucks. Let’s face it, your idea to maintain 4 different types of Apistogramma in a 40 gallon breeder looked good on paper, perhaps- but the fishes themselves will dictate what works! It’s easy to theorize about a mixed Mbuna tank or a biotope full of adult Discus; a lot harder to execute! Sometimes, despite our best plans, stuff just doesn’t happen the way we think it will. This may result in loss of life, discouragement, and other issues. All are tragic (with loss of life being the worst!), and each one is a sacrifice in and of itself.

Okay, now I’ve just generated a huge amount of "buzzkill" on the whole hobby, so maybe it’s time to look at the positives…What about the long-term results of such sacrifices?

Long Term Benefit #1- You’re in complete control- sort of. Yeah, you can create the exact type of environment you’re trying to replicate, complete with water chemistry, lighting, flow, and associated plants and fishes. Sacrificing “having everything”  (ie; the “community tank”) gives you more control over what you DO decide to keep. This is something that is often overlooked during the planning and creation process of a specialized aquarium.

Long Term Benefit #2 - You can even learn from failures and struggles. Nothing is ever really wasted. Despite setbacks and near disasters, it seems like every experience we have in aquarium keeping can be a learning experience that makes us better aquarists. Often times, recovery from failure can teach us more than success right out of the blocks. Seeing what CAN go wrong and what steps work to rectify the situation is valuable knowledge- heard-won, but exceedingly useful. Which brings us quickly to the next, related benefit:

Long Term Benefit #3- You learn what works- and what doesn’t- quickly- and you get to keep the skills! In other words, if something kills your fishes, you’ll get a really great feel for what works and what doesn’t…And you’ll make those adjustments if you want to continue to play the aquarium-keeping game…And you will have that experience to fall back on.

Long Term Benefit #4-  You accumulate friends and experiences to share. These are the priceless intangibles of this hobby and journey… the thing that really matter in this whole game of aquarium keeping are often the things that matter to us in the rest of life- friends, relationships, etc. Conferences, club meetings, collections trips- all add to the joy of the hobby.

In the end, are any of these things really “sacrifices?” Are any of the lessons we learn from aquarium keeping- the experiences that we accumulate- are any of them truly a “sacrifice?” I think it all depends upon how you look at things, in actuality.

If you’re successful- and sometimes even if you’re not- you make your mark, influence people, interact. Win. And you can contribute to the body of knowledge that is aquarium keeping. Success.

Think about that for a bit...

Have a great day. Stay excited. Stay motivated. Stay happy. And most of all...

Stay Wet!

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

On today's menu... Thoughts on leaves and botanicals as food and a "food production zone"

With the enthusiasm increasing almost daily for using botanicals in aquariums, there are all sorts of angles to be worked- assumptions to be reviewed, and yeah, even "myths" to be debunked- relating to their use.

In pervious installments of this blog, we've literally beaten the crap out of the many assumptions that have been made about the "antibacterial" and "antifungal" properties attributed to Catappa and Guava leaves, among others, and have addressed the impact that utilizing leaves and other botanicals has on the closed aquatic environment. We've talked about the collateral  activity that accompanies their use (i.e.; formation of biofilms, algae and support of benthic life forms). We've looked at many different attributes of their use as both  "functional" and "aesthetic" aquascaping "props", and how fishes interact with them.

One thing that haven't really played with much during our explorations of aquatic botanicals is their use as food- or more specifically, supporting fishes as both a direct feeding mechanism, as well as via the life forms they support. Yeah, exactly...food. Now, we have briefly talked about how decomposing leaf litter does support population of infusoria- a collective term used to describe minute aquatic creatures such as ciliates, euglenoids, protozoa, unicellular algae and small invertebrates that exist in freshwater ecosystems. Yet, there is much to explore on this topic. It's no secret, or surprise- to most aquarists who've played with botanicals, that a tank with a healthy leaf litter component is a pretty good place for the rearing of fry of species associated with blackwater environments!

In general, blackwater environments are often referred to as "nutrient poor", or having little in the way of planktonic life forms. We'll hit the "nutrient poor" thing in a future piece, but today, let's talk about the thinking that blackwater systems are relatively devoid of planktonic life. This is a fact borne out by many years of study by science. However, "impoverished" doesn't mean "devoid" of life. And in many cases, these populations of food organisms do vary from time to time. 

Major rivers like the Rio Negro are often called "impoverished" by scientists, in terms of plankton production. They show little seasonal fluctuations in algal and bacterial populations. Other blackwater systems do show seasonal fluctuations, such as lakes and watercourses enriched with overflow in spring months. At low water levels, the nutrients and population of these life forms are generally more dense. Creatures like hydracarines (mites), insects, like chironomids (hello, blood worms!), and copepods, like Daphnia, are the dominant fauna that fishes tend to feed on in these waters.  This is interesting to contemplate when we consider what to feed our fishes in aquariums, isn't it? Hmm...Why don't more commercial fish foods contain mostly aquatic insects? Hint, hint, hint, hint...

Anyways, these life forms, both planktonic and insect, tend to feed off of the leaf litter itself, as well as fungi and bacteria present in them as they decompose. The leaf litter bed is a surprisingly dynamic, and one might even say "rich" little benthic biotope, contained within the otherwise "impoverished" waters. And, as we've discussed before on these pages, it should come as no surprise that a large and surprisingly diverse assemblage of fishes make their homes within and closely adjacent to, these litter beds. These are little "food oasis" in areas otherwise relatively devoid of food. The fishes are not there just to look at the pretty leaves.

It's not really that much different in the aquarium, is it? I mean, as the leaves and botanicals break down, they are acted upon by fungi and bacteria, the degree of which is dependent upon the available food sources. Granted, with fishes in a closer proximity and higher density than in many wild systems, the natural food sources are not sufficient to be the primary source of food for our fishes- but they are one hell of a supplement, right? That's why, in a botanical-rish, leaf litter dominated aquarium, you see the fishes spending a lot of time foraging in and among the litter...just like in nature.

It's been observed by many aquarists, particularly those who breed loricariids, that the fry have significantly higher survival rates when reared in systems with leaves present. I'm sure some success of this could be attributed to the population of infusoria, etc. present within the system as the leaves break down. Biofilms, as we've discussed many times before, contain a complex mix of sugars, bacteria, and other materials, all of which are relatively nutritious for animals which feed on them. It therefore would make a lot of sense that a botanical-influenced aquarium with a respectable growth of biofilm would be a great place to rear fry! Maybe not the most attractive place, from an aesthetic standpoint- but a system where the little guys are essentially "knee deep" in supplemental natural food at any given time is a beautiful thing to the busy fish breeder!

And what of the leaves themselves? Do our aquatic animals feed on them? Well, yes- and no. Some fishes, for example, Loricariids, will feed on some of the materials directly, rasping off surface tissues. Others, like certain characins (notably, Headstanders, Metynis, and similar fishes), will feed off of the algae growth, or aufwuchs, as it's collectively referred to, present on the botanicals and leaves. Other creatures, such as the beloved ornamental shrimp (Neocaridina, Caridina, etc.) feed on the biofilms, algal material, and directly on the leaves themselves. Thus, I am a big fan of including some of these creatures in a blackwater, leaf-litter-dominant display! Not only do they do very well in such systems, in my experience- but they can help keep the biofilms from getting too much of an "upper hand" in such an aquarium.

Okay, I've gone on and on about this today...I think I've at least scratched the surface on the subject of botanical-rich aquariums being beneficial to their inhabitants because of the supplemental food system they both provide and support. I think that it is definitely worthwhile for more experimentation to be conducted by fish breeders, who are in a unique position to see for themselves exactly how the presence of leaves and other botanicals in rearing tanks can influence both the survival and growth rate of fry. Who is up for the experiment?

As always, there is SO much to learn about this stuff; one person, or even a small group of people- can't do it all. I hope that I've at least whetted the appetite (no pun intended, here) of some of you talented and engaged hobbyists to play around with this stuff a bit more!

Until next time- Keep experimenting. Stay curious. Stay innovative. Stay adventurous.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Leaf litter "confidential": To steep or not to steep?

As you know, we're about the biggest fans of using leaves in aquariums as anyone out there. We've utilize large quantities of a significant variety of dried leaves in a lot of different aquarium situations, and we've developed quite a "feel" for the characteristics and applications of them.

We've gotten to the point where we are fairly comfortable recommending approximate "numbers per gallon", types you should use, and the most controversial topic related to leaf use in the aquarium, how to prepare them for use in the aquarium.

I'll be the first to admit that we're pretty conservative when it comes to the preparation of leaves for use  in aquariums. As a matter of practice, I recommend rinsing them, steeping them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, and then an overnight soak in freshwater before tossing them in your tank.

I have actually received some criticism in some circles for recommending this practice, having been told by a number of hobbyist that steeping leaves in boiling water before use is unnecessary, that it is being "overly cautious", and actually and will "deplete a lot of the tannins" bound up within the leaves. This is the "rinse and toss" crowd, and they report equally successful results by applying this technique. 

I freely admit that I have employed the "rinse and toss" technique with a number of different leaves, and have never experienced any difficulties, in terms of disease, obvious pollution episodes that could be attributed to the non-steeped" leaves, or other obvious phenomenon, like cloudy water, etc. However, I also can tell you that I've seen no real difference, from a visual standpoint, at least- in terms of the tannins released from fresh leaves as opposed to steeped leaves. Besides, who has the test equipment to measure this, outside of the lab? We're really relying on visual observation and even "feel" as hobbyists, right?

Oh, sure, I agree there is probably a loss of some of the "initial tannins" bound up in the outermost layers of the leaf tissue ( the cuticle or maybe the upper epidermal layer), but I doubt that the steeping/soaking period that we recommend can thoroughly break down most leaves to the point where they lose significant tissue, and therefore, the tannins bound up within.

In fact, I wonder, how much tannins are really bound up in, say, the cuticle, the leaf structure most likely affected by steeping and soaking. The cuticle is the waxy outer layer of the leaf, responsible for preventing water loss and keeping out pollutants. It's thickness increases depending upon how much light exposure the leaf is exposed to. I think it's more of a "sunscreen" than anything else, and really doesn't contain much in the way of tannins. The epidermis, on the other hand, is where a lot of the tannins are most commonly found.  Typically they are located in the upper epidermis and mesophyll layer in most leaves ( However, in evergreen plants, tannins are evenly distributed in all tissues). 

Does a 10 minute steep in boiling water break down the epidermal layer of the leaf to the point where all of the tannins "leach out?" I don't think so. In fact, in my discussion with a few botanists, they felt that a steep in boiling water would soften and dissolve parts of the cuticle of the leaves, enough for some of the epidermal tissue to be more exposed, but that's about it. As one put it, "There will still be plenty of tannins left to go around!"

In fact, water is a good "solvent" for getting tannin out of the leaves over the long term , but not as quick or efficient as chemical solvents like a 30% solution of ethanol, or even acetone, which I read about in one study as being the most efficient means to extract tannins from Guava leaves (Yeah, you're NOT going to use ethanol or acetone...). So the reality is, you will lose some tannins by steeping in boiling water for a few minutes and soaking for a day or so, but consensus of the botanists that I talked to is that the amount is relatively trivial compared to how much of this material is typically bound up in a given leaf.

In addition to creating a little piece of mind for you, steeping and soaking the leaves before use will at least release some of the pollutants (i.e.; dust, dirt, etc.) repelled from the internal leaf structures by the cuticle, giving you at least a slightly more "hygienic" leaf to add to your aquarium. And, being a bit more saturated with water, it's likely that the leaf will sink immediately in the aquarium, and possibly begin breaking down that much more quickly. 

So, yes, I confess- I have simply rinsed and dumped my leaves before without incident. In fact, I've done all sorts of crazy experiments with botanicals that I'd never recommend anyone try- in the interest of developing "best practices", and ascertaining which botanicals are safe to use in our tanks.  However, as a responsible aquarist and a vendor who earns his living from selling these products, I owe it to everyone to relay information which I feel is the best practice for the widest variety of aquarists. Being honest and responsible is not just about "good service", it's about relaying advice based upon what I have practiced. 

At the end of the day, as they say- the choice is yours on how to best prepare your leaves for aquarium use. It's definitely more of an art than a science, and that's the fun part. However, as a matter of "best practices", we're gonna stick to recommending the "steep and soak" process for now. On the other hand, if you're a "rinse and toss" kind of aquarist, we're certainly not gonna hold it against you!

Regardless of what preparation method you employ for your leaves- be consistent. Stay alert to what's happening in your tank...Share your observations. Refine your techniques. 

Stay focused on the fun. Stay enthusiastic.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Consistency. The obvious, yet not always considered success factor.

Consistency.

You hear the term mentioned in pretty much every field of human endeavor: Sports, investing, education, nutrition, business, personal fitness, blah, blah, blah...

And of course, it's a concept perfectly applicable to aquarium keeping. Absolutely.

Yet we don't really talk about it much. Or think about it...except maybe when something goes wrong. Case in point- last week, I had a conversation with a fellow hobbyist who had a tank that was amazing for years, only to start declining rapidly over the past couple of months for "no apparent reason."

It wasn't until we discussed it thoroughly, as fish buddies do, that it was apparent that his once stable aquarium was declining because of some rather subtle, yet immediately obvious changes to his maintenance routines. It just took  a little bit of "talking it out" with a "third party" (i.e.; me) for him to see that the obvious cause was a much longer period of time between water changes and a less consistent filter media change-out schedule.

Ahh, there it was again. Consistency.

Consistency is a trait that can not only make you a better aquarist- it can create a better aquarium! It applies to virtually every area of the aquarium hobby: Environmental parameters, equipment choices, feeding, livestock selection, maintenance, and procedures, just to mention a few.



Consistent habits create consistent environmental parameters, without a doubt. A prime example would be the achievement and maintenance of consistent environmental parameters with regular maintenance procedures, such as water changes, dosing schedules, and lighting photoperiods. As you've heard me mention ad nauseum here, natural rivers, lakes, and streams, although subject to seasonal variations and such, are typically remarkably stable physical environments, and fishes and plants, although capable of adapting to environmental changes, have really evolved over eons to grow in consistent, stable conditions.

That's at least part of the reason why you hear the environmental groups freaking out about ocean acidification, temperature fluctuations, sewage dumping into riveters  and other things that negatively impact or otherwise challenge the stability of the aquatic environment.




I'm not saying to get obsessed over every single parameter in your aquarium. I don't really care exactly what your nitrate reading is- and to some degree, your fishes really don't, either. The important thing is to keep the range of fluctuation limited. This is a management habit I developed over decades in reef keeping, and it's always served my freshwater efforts well, too. And i don't want to sound insulting that I seem to be "preaching" the obvious, but it's surprising how often I hear about "tank issues" from fellow hobbyists  who are looking for every obscure cause of their problem, when the answer is right in front of them. It's easy to miss...but vitally important.

Consistency.

In the botanical-influenced, low alkalinity/low pH blackwater environment, consistency is really important. Although these tank are surprisingly easy to manage and run over the long haul, consistency is a huge part of what keeps these speciality systems running healthily and happily for extended periods of time. It wouldn't take too much beginning neglect or even a little sloppiness in husbandry to start a march towards a very low pH and its associated problems. Although this specific inconsistency-related problem is unique to this type of tank, the concept of detrimental environmental changes caused by inconsistency apply to every type of aquarium.

I'm mainly concerned about the basic parameters- like pH, alkalinity, nitrate, (ammonia and nitrate are ones we shouldn't even be discussing, right?)...

Other parameters, such as phosphate, have less significant, yet noticeable, impacts if allowed to fluctuate more than just a few 'clicks." Phosphate swings of more than a couple of ppm, or even less in many instances, can result in the appearance of nuisance algae growth in otherwise pristine systems, and, at the very least, should "tip you off" to some deficiency within your system and its maintenance regime. What's the key to smoothing out these fluctuations?

Consistency. Regular maintenance. Scheduled water changes. The usual stuff. Nothing magic here. 

Nothing that you, as an experienced hobby don't already know. Right?

Just looking at your tank and its inhabitants will be enough to tell you if something is amiss. More than one advanced aquarist has only half-jokingly told me that he or she can tell if something is amiss with his/her tank simply by the "smelI!" get it- excesses of biological activities do often create conditions that are detectible by scent! 

So takeaway from this: It's important to at least have some sort of "working relationship" with your test kits. Really.

I need not point out the necessity of keeping temperature in tight check. Sure, you might see a day/night fluctuation of a degree or two (or even three), but get much outside of that range and your'e looking at a potentially stressful situation for many fishes. And stress, as you know, can lead to lower resistance, disease, and even death, if left unaddressed.  Again, not unknown, but often overlooked in our search for a bigger problem when something goes wrong...Pick a number that works for you and your fishes, and do your best to keep it in a very close range.

The point here is that consistent environmental parameters yield more controllable, easier-to-manage systems, with happier, healthier fishes. They minimize the need to constantly adapt to a changing environment- a key cause of stress in captive animals adapted over the eons to live in relatively consistent environmental conditions. Stress is one of the most underrated, yet most common, killers of captive aquatic animals. Yet, ironically, stress is one of the more easily controllable health issues if you adapt- you got it- a consistent approach to your husbandry and water quality management. Kind of a no-brainer, but something that we tend to forget at times in our busy aquarium lives...

So, without further "beating a dead seahorse", I think we can successfully make the argument that consistency in all manner of aquarium-keeping endeavors can only help your animals. Keeping a stable environment is not only humane- it's playing into the very strength of our animals, by minimizing the stress of constantly having to adapt to a fluctuating environment. As one of our local Southern California hobbyists likes to say "Stability Promotes Success."

Who could argue with that?

I'm sure that you can think of a few other ways that consistency in our fish-keeping habits can help promote more healthy, stable aquariums.  Don't obsess over this stuff, but do give some thought to the discussion here; think about consistency, and how it applies to your animals, and what you do each day to keep a consistent environment in your systems.

So, man the siphon hose, check your lighting timers, break out a test kit now and then. Stuff you already know to do. Stay inquisitive. Stay rational. Stay consistent. And most important-

Stay wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Form, function, and fun with aquatic botanicals!

As we assemble our aquariums and incorporate botanicals, it's really easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of it all, without considering the actual "utility" that may botanicals bring to the table, so to speak. A real marriage of form and function!

As Tannin begins to expand globally, more and more hobbyists are trying their hand at incorporating aquatic botanicals into their displays, and more and more thought is being given to making them functional as well as aesthetically attractive.

Today, I thought we'd visit this hot topic (it IS hot, judging by the number of email and PM discussions I've had on the subject from customers around the world lately!) of which botanicals are best suited for utilitarian purposes, such as sheltering fishes and other aquatic animals. We'll look at our faves, and toss in a few insights for each. Remember, there are no "rules" as to which botanicals you can use for this purpose. We're just giving you some information based on our own experience, as well as the experience of our "early adapter" customers!

If you keep fishes like Apistos, young Plecos, wild Betta species, Dario, Badis, Ctenopoma, Loaches, gobies, bennies, Corydoras, and other small catfishes, you're definitely going to want to take advantage of the botanicals (typically various seed pods) which offer larger surfaces, openings, and deep interiors, as well as the ability to place them in the aquarium to maximize their use as shelter in a wide range of positions.

The largest openings of any of the botanicals we offer are found on "Jungle Pods", which can vary from approximately 2"-4" (5.08-10.16cm), depending upon the shape of the particular pod.

They do vary in shape, as some of these pods are more "round" in configuration, while some are more "flattened out" in a tent-like shape. Both "morphs" work really well! We've seen more and more hobbyists use them for natural "spawning caves for Apistogramma, Nanochromis, Pelvicichromis, etc., in place of the venerable coconut shell- which we must say, we're happy to see!

I've talked to at least one hobbyist who wants to do a hardscape for cichlids incorporating only "Jungle Pods" and some cool stone...now, that is interesting!

Next on the "shelter" roster would be the "Savu Pod", with openings varying from approximately 1"-2" (2.54-5.08cm). Some are considerably larger in size. Since we have so many of them in stock at any time, feel free to ask us if you're looking for a "Savu" with a larger diameter opening; we'll do our best to accommodate.

These are incredibly durable pods, and aerating the most "natural looking" botanicals for a blackwater, botanical-influenced display.

Shrimp keepers really love these pods, as the shrimp seem to congregate in. on, and amongst them in a very interesting manner!

Well, let's be honest- shrimp love to congregate, forage on and among just about anything underwater that attracts biofilms, algae, and other food sources...so, like pretty much anything you put in their tank, right? Ah, but I digress...

When we first started offering the "Monkey Pod", it was intended for use by frog and herp enthusiasts, who employ them as shelters and "watering holes" in vivarium displays. Lately, however, we're seeing more and more aquarium hobbyists employing them in their aquariums. And why not? They are extremely durable, have a large opening (up to 3" (7.62cm) or more in diameter, and last a long time in submerged and humid environments terrestrial alike. The main issue with these guys, as discussed on our site, is their incredible "buoyancy." You have to boil and soak the - - - - out of 'em to get them to sink! However, once they're down, you've got a really useful, interesting-looking shelter pod!

One botanical that comes up all the time in discussion with customers is "Sino Xicara", super lightweight pod with a great shape. It's problem? It's super lightweight, and is virtually impossible to sink. Heartbreaking...It's really best relegated for a vivarium. Of course, you could experiment and use it as a floating shelter for bubble nest builders, or as a means to anchor plants...

Still another "sheltering" pod to consider is the "Ra Cama" pod, a big, heavy flattened out seed pod that is ideal for use in a vivarium, but has all sorts of creative applications for aquarium use. If you're looking for a natural "break" for terracing sand or gravel, and want to use something besides wood or rock- this pod is the one! 

And then you have the "Tapete Pod", a sort of "Ra Cama Lite", if you will, yet interestingly curved and textured. I've used these in tanks with leaf litter and other lighter botanicals as sort of a "contrast piece", and you might want to do the same. They are interesting, versatile, and- you guessed it- shrimp love 'em!

Remember, with every botanical, you need to take the time to prepare them properly before using in your aquatic display. Boiling and soaking just sort of go with the territory here. Be responsible, patient, and take the time to do it right. Rinse any of our aquatic botanicals before use, even after boiling or soaking. By the way, a "post-boil soak" in fresh water with a bag of activated carbon is a recommended step, too.

Although we obtain our products from sources known to be free of pollution, impurities and pesticides, you can never be to careful, and the extra, albeit very conservative step is worthwhile, in our opinion. If you go deep into our blog (yeah, we have over 300 entries and growing daily!), you'll find tons of information about preparation, use, selection, and the overall ins-and-outs of aquatic botanical use.

Well, that's a very brief summary of what we feel are the very best pods for providing versatile shelter for many different fishes. You will no doubt find other uses, and other pods-in a botanical tank, anything is shelter for somebody!

I'm frequently amused by how our Crenuchus spilurus ("Sailfin Tetra") specimens utilize little openings in the leaf litter as "caves" to shelter in- just as in nature. The behavior alone that is enabled by utilizing natural materials in innovative ways within the aquarium makes them well worth playing with!

Of course, we'll keep scouring the world for more unusual botanicals. We've got a few undergoing testing right now that we think you're gonna love when we release them! The best part about any of these botanicals is that, other than getting them to do what you want (i.e.; sinking), they are most cooperative with your creative efforts! You're only limited by your imagination.

So, stay creative. Stay adventurous. Stay disciplined...

And Stay Wet!

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Into darkness...and shining a light on it. (Building the body of knowledge about blackwater aquariums)

As we plunge ever deeper into the world of blackwater aquariums, it seems that there are a lot of different "projects" that we as amateur aquarists can work on that will help unlock some of the secrets and challenges of their care. Even though hobbyists have been playing with blackwater-type tanks for years, it's been only very recently that they are sort of stepping out of the shadows and emerging as an interesting alternative to a conventional "clear water" tank. We've learned a lot already- but there is so much more to learn!

The blackwater world presents a real "ground floor" opportunity for the intrepid hobbyist to get involved, experiment, and contribute to the body of knowledge accumulating on the aquarium replication of these unique habitats. Each new aquarium- each new application of botanicals- every spawning attempt, biotope replication...for that matter, every pH and alkalinity test that we do- helps contribute to the data we have on the husbandry of blackwater systems. You are truly on the cutting edge here, and everyone's contribution is important!

Here are just a few of the things that would be important for us to study and share our information about, in relation to blackwater aquariums:

*Long-term stability of pH and alkalinity, particularly with various types of substrate materials, and different chemical filtration media. What has proven to be the most effective means to keep a stable chemical environment in a blackwater system? What are the optimum pH and alkalinity ranges for safe, long-term maintenance of these systems?

*Are there some water change regimens and other husbandry techniques  that lend themselves better to the export of nutrients and overall parameter stability within a closed blackwater system? Are there "best practices" that we can reliably utilize to increase our chances for success?

*What botanical items seem to provide the most benefit to the inhabitants of a blackwater aquarium, both in terms of environmental stability and overall "comfort" for the fishes and invertebrates maintained?

*What plants seem to led themselves best to maintenance in a blackwater aquarium? Are the acidic, nutrient-based speciality substrates beneficial to keeping things chemically stable in a blackwater tank, or do they take pH even lower that we would like?

*Is it possible to maintain a blackwater, heavily botanical-influenced system (i.e.; leaf litter) for very long periods of time (i.e.; several years)? What are the long-term challenges, in terms of maintenance and care?

*When kept under blackwater conditions, are spawning success rates, and overall health, vitality, and appearance of the resulting offspring significantly better when breeding "domesticated" varieties of fishes whose ancestors came from blackwater environments in the wild?, yet are now kept and bred in "tapwater" conditions commercially?

*Are there optimum amounts and types of botanicals that can be utilized in a specific manner to achieve desired parameters reliably and safely? Is it possible to work out a "X" amount of botanicals within the system at a starting pH/Alkalinity of ____ to get where we want to go? Are better results attained when we use the botanicals as "media" within filters than when they are incorporated into the display itself?

*Are we experiencing better success rates with the maintenance and spawning of WILD fishes from blackwater environments when we keep them this way in captivity, versus more conventional "tapwater" parameters? Do the wild specimens acclimate any easier and more successfully to captivity when these conditions are applied?

*Do various physical augmentations to the aquarium environment, such as different flow rates, lighting schedules, and temperatures, create significantly better outcomes for the long-term care of certain species?

These are just a very few of the many, many different topics that would be interesting for us as hobbyists to investigate. There are literally hundreds more subjects to tackle, if we want to. Some of them we are actually tackling by the simple act of keeping a botnaical-influenced blackwater aquarium. Most of them require little more than simply taking note about the blackwater systems we're keeping, and perhaps noting any significant observations one way or another (Ex: "Gouramis tend to spawn an average of 2 months earlier than those kept in my tapwater parameters..." Or, "Tanks with significant biofilm growth on the botanicals in the first three months of operation tend to have more stable nitrate and phosphate parameters...").

There is something both exciting and satisfying about taking the approach that your hobby enjoyment and adventures can help add to the body of knowledge being accumulated about these cool aquariums. Through your effort, passion, animist important- sharing of experiences- other hobbyists entering this unique world will have a better understanding of what to plan for, what to expect, and how to manage blackwater aquariums.

That's how we share "The Tint."

Stay adventurous. Stay curious...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Cones in the aquarium: Filled with potential- and questions?

Leaves, wood, botanicals...there sure are a lot of different things we can put into the water in our aquariums to impact the color and chemical characteristics of our aquaria! Many botanicals perform similarly, in my experience, with some varieties slowly releasing tannin and humic acids into the water. Other varieties of botanicals, such as leaves, palm products, and today's subects- cones- can quickly and efficiently impart these substances to the aquarium water once submerged.

Cones, such as Alder and others, have been used successfully for quite a few years by shrimp and fish breeders to lower the pH in their aquaria, as well as to stimulate breeding. Some claim that they provide some antifungal properties. I've seen claims of higher hatch rates for certain fish eggs when utilizing cones as "water conditioners" in spawning aquariums. Is there any merit to these claims? Well, there seems to be at least some anecdotal evidence that the cones (well, really- the humic substances that cones release) may offer some benefits. More about this later.

What, exactly, is a "cone?" To many of us "city folks", cones are those odd-looking things that fall off big old Pine trees in yards and parks, are cool to throw into the fire while camping ('cause they "crackle!"), and at each other when you're a kid! Well, to science, a cone (known to botanists as a strobilus) is the organ on a plant that contains the reproductive structures.

At this point, I'm so tempted to make some sort of juvenile sounding joke about how weird it was that we used to throw pine cones at each other- but I'll spare you. Anyways, cones come in male and female varieties, are well-studied by scientists, and have definitive charchteristics that make identifying each species. sex, and viability possible, but I won't bore you with those details right now!

So, as far as cones are concerned, as aquarists, we like them because they contain those tannins and humic acids. As you know, here at Tannin Aquatics, we have a more than causal interest in stuff that "tints" the aquarium water and contributes to a more dynamic physical and aesthetic aquarium environment- and cones can make some important contributions.

First off, the varieties that we use are Alder, Birch, and Casauarina. These have been used for aquariums for some time, each has their own "tint capability" and therefore, utility for our purposes! 

Alder cones are probably the "alpha dogs" of the cone-using world, and you'll find aquarists worldwide playing with them in their aquariums. Hailing from the genus Alnus, there quite a few species found worldwide. The ones most commonly used in aquaria come from Northern Europe, and I think this is simply because the most adventurous aquarists- or at least the first aquarists to really experiment with them- came from this region.  Alder trees are known to have bark rich in tannins, so it's no stretch to conclude that the woody little cones also contain some tannins as well!

Now, Alder cones are small- typically only a few centimeters in length, varying by age and species- but they are powerful little "tinters!' It only takes a small amount of these guys, steeped in water, to produce some decent color.  A study done a few years back by a Swedish hobbyist using from one to six cones in a glass containing about 10 ounces of tap water, with a starting ph of around 8.12, was able to affect a drop to 6.74 with one cone after about two weeks, 4.79 with 2 cones after two weeks, and an amazing 3.84 with 6 cones after the same time period! The biggest part of the drop in pH occurred in the first 12 hours after immersion of the cones!

This same enthusiast extrapolated that it would take about 330 cones to lower the ph of 100 liters of tap water from 8.12 to a respectable 6.74 in about 2 weeks, with nicely "tinted" water resembling, in the hobbyist's own words, "a cup of tea"- music to our ears, of course! So, suffice it to say, these little cones pack a considerable wallop! Of course, no hobbyist I know is going to toss 300 alder cones in a 25 gallon aquarium to try to drop the pH by 1.38, but this exercise demonstrates the "capabilities" of these innocuous-appearing little cones, and demonstrates the need to treat them with some respect and start very slowly when using them in our aquaria!

The other cone commonly used by fish geeks is the Birch cone (Betula sp.), which has similar, although not quite as pronounced an effect on pH as Alder, in our rudimentary recreation of the other guy's slightly more sophisticated tests! Birch cones are a bit larger, more elongated, which apparently doesn't have much relation to their "capabilities" as a pH reducer in the aquarium. Birch extracts (from the wood, mainly) are used in other industrial capacities, such as treating leather and in flavorings.

A given quantity of Birch cones do seem to render a slightly darker tint to the water than Alder, in our opinions, but as we know, tint is NOT necessarily indicative of the pH of water. And remember, very hard water is unlikely to have the pH substantially influenced by a reasonable amount of any cones or botanicals. Softer water (like RO/DI), with little to no general hardness, is far more susceptible to pH manipulation via botanicals, in our experience.

In order to round out our collection of cones, we have sourced the rather attractive Indian Casuaurina Cone (Allocasuarina and Alnus sp.), which come from the beautiful evergreen trees found throughout Australia, Oceana, and as non-native introductions into the Indian sub-continent(which is odd, considering the common name, right?). These cones are somewhat less known in the hobby in Europe and North America, but have apparently been used in Asia for a number of years in the same capacity as Alder has in Europe. These are handsome, "fat-looking" cones that actually look kind of different to us.

As much as I love using cones for aquariums, I must admit that, in my opinion, they hardly look "tropical", and are best relegated to the utilitarian role of "media", used to influence tint, and to a lesser extent, pH of the aquarium water in filters or media bags away from the display. That being said, I've seen them used to great aesthetic effect by other, more talented lobbyists, like my friend James Sheen, who incorporated them into his display beautifully! We've been offering cones for some time, and our customers give us much positive feedback. We've even created a "sampler" of the three varieties that we offer, so you can experiment with them yourself, and contemplate their aesthetics. 

A lot of hobbyists- especially shrimp and Apisto enthusiasts, DO like the look of cones in their displays. And, if you're going to keep cones in your display aquarium, the Casuarina are the best candidates for the job, IMHO! Their ability to reduce pH is not quite as pronounced as Alder, or even Birch; nonetheless, they can impact water chemistry and definitely can influence the tint of the water! We've arrived at using around 6 cones for every 10 gallons of aquarium capacity, but that is OUR conclusion based on our own experimentation- your "mileage", as they say, will vary.

In general, cones seem to be ideal candidates to use in filter, media reactors, or just passively somewhere in your aquarium where water flows over them gently. With shrimp keepers, they certainly make a great foraging area, and the many "faceted" surfaces (known, interestingly enough as "scales" to botanists) do a respectable job of recruiting biofilms. Since shrimp and some catfish (I'm thinking Otocinculus) seem to love foraging in them, one could conceivably sneak in some pelleted foods into the scales, turning them into unorthodox, yet effective "feeding stations" for these animals!

In general, the cones mentioned here are known to science to have rather significant amounts of tannins in their tissues. Their usefulness as aquarium "media" is easy to understand. However, the properties attributed to them by aquarists is a bit harder to substantiate. Many hobbyists who use cones will speak of their alleged "anti-fungal" and "antibacterial" properties, with little more than anecdotal experience (or less!) to substantiate these claims. Unlike Catappa leaves, which have been studied by scientists in Asia and elsewhere for fisheries use as antifungals/antimicrobials, and which DO have some phytochemical constituents that may be useful in treating and preventing infections, we're really operating on the basis of inference and supposition that, because the cones seem to do what leaves do from a pH and aesthetic standpoint, that they must also have these "therapeutic" capabilities, right?

Of course, those of us who trade in botanicals need to be responsible when assigning these "attributes" to the stuff we sell, and not everyone in the industry does. I see lots of vendors selling these items around the world, with descriptions that absolutely imply that the cones have these capabilities and should be used to treat fungus, hatch eggs, etc., I don't think that such blanket statements are responsible. As much as I would love to share their enthusiasm and faith that they do these things, until scientific aquarium-use-specific research is done on them, I think it's best to offer them as a means to provide some tint to the water, some pH-reducing capability, and state that it is thought by some to have possible therapeutic benefits for aquatic animals, the extent of which is not fully understood.

All buzzkill aside, I would encourage responsible hobby-level experimentation of cones as a possible "homeopathic" remedy or "preventative" for fungus and other possible fish maladies. As long as we are open-minded, record our results, and don't simply attribute every good (and bad) thing that happens to our animals while using the cones to their "properties", it is certainly with looking into! The number of shrimp breeders and Apsitogramma breeders I've spoken with and read about who do use cones (mainly Alder) in their breeding/rearing aquaria and imply good results makes it too tempting to simply dismiss!

All in all, I hope this brief foray into the world of cones in the aquarium has at least inspired you to check them out for yourself!

Stay open-minded, yet skeptical. Stay enthusiastic, but grounded.

And most important...

Stay Wet!

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

"Keeping your freak on." Thoughts on the establishment, maintenance and mindset of the "New Botanical"-style aquarium...

We receive more and more questions related to the establishment and long-term maintenance of "New Botanical"-style aquariums, and we are excited, because it's an indication that more and more hobbyists are keen on the idea of establishing and keeping one of these aquariums. Besides, it periodically warrants a review!

When you first establish an aquarium with botanicals, be they leaves, seed pods, or even wood- there is a significant release of not only tannins, but some organics as well. It's important to consider botanicals as not only "aquascaping props", but as materials that can both enrich and tax the aquarium environment, depending upon how they are added. 

Huh?

Well, regardless of if you're adding a bunch of botanicals to a new or established aquarium, you need to prepare them in some fashion- whether its by boiling or soaking them for some period of time. Not only will this "crack off" some of the initial burst of tannins, but it will give your botanicals a chance to release some of the dirt and or other organics bound up in their outer layers.

These organics are essentially a bioload for your aquarium, as they will impact the biological filtration.This is why we always admonish our customers to go slowly when adding botanicals to an established aquarium- particularly one with a heavy or delicate fish load.

Massive "dumps" of botanicals into an established aquarium can potentially tax the biological filtration, leaving the existing bacteria population struggling to process a large influx of materials,  and could also lead to rapid pH drops or even more sinister stuff, like lower dissolved oxygen levels, etc. Granted, these are unusual, unlikely, and extreme cases- but things like this can happen if you're not careful. You simply don't add a ton of anything all at once to any aquarium. Take the time. It's common sense- and by going slowly and monitoring your basic water chemistry, you will typically avoid most of the potential problems that can result from rapid environmental changes.

Okay, all of the "doom and gloom" warnings aside, what about routine maintenance?

Well, that's pretty straightforward. The real considerations for maintenance in a botanical heavy system are how you want to handle the water tint and any possible biofilms and algae that may appear on your botanicals. 

Like in any aquarium, we're huge advocates of regular, frequent water exchanges. I'd obviously leave the amount and frequency to your discretion, but I do recommend that you do them. You may or may not elect to siphon out some botanical debris during these exchanges. The tint of the water can be maintained by regularly replenishing your botanicals (particularly leaves) as they break down and lose their ability to impart tannins into the water. We've gone back and forth numerous times here about the merits of removing leaves as they break down versus leaving them in, so I won't beat that proverbial dead horse yet again!

Suffice it to say that you kind of have to "finesse" things a bit to find what works for you. I have found that a combination of water exchanges (with botanical-infused source water) and periodic replenishment of leaves (not removing the decomposing ones) has worked best for me in maintaining consistent parameters and aesthetics. Other "tinters" regularly remove and replace leaves at the first sign of deterioration, and are fanatical about removing any traces of biofilms, etc. as they appear.

And of course- those biofilms. And the occasional algae. As we've discussed, they are "par for the course" with a botanical-influenced system. Most of us accept this, understand that they are a typically "transitory" phenomenon, and will ebb and flow, or simply pass over time. Some aquariums never experience them, particularly larger water volumes with a lower "botanical-to-tank-capacity ratio", and aquariums where known consumers of the stuff (Shrimp, snails, many species of catfishes, and even some Barbs, Characins, and other fishes that are known to be "grazers") reside.

If you look at almost any of the many underwater videos of The Amazon and other regions by photographers like, Sumer Tiwari, the late Takauhi Amano, and Ivan Mikolji, you'll notice these biofilms and even various algae are almost ubiquitous in most natural environments.

(Sumer Tiwari- in and among the botanicals in India)

The degree to which you'll want to physically remove them- if at all- is purely up to you.

The hardest part, as we've suggested many times, is making that "mental shift" to embrace these natural processes. To understand that these life forms- however distasteful they might be to our aesthetic sensibilities-are normal, and actually contribute to the diversity, stability, and "richness" of the aquatic environment we have created. Coming as we do, from generations of hobbyists accustomed to hating anything like algae and biofilms, let alone, brown water- it's a tough shift to make. I'll give you that. Many aquarium people would just freak out seeing that stuff. I used to, myself. It requires us to break away from what we know and embrace something, although natural in every respect, that aesthetically is completely different.

I virtually guarantee that if you entered a "New Botanical"-style aquarium which had the slightest trace of biofilms into one of those major international aquascaping contests, you'd be absolutely "hammered" by the judges, who would tell that your tank is "poorly maintained", "unstable", poorly executed and thought out, and just plain "sloppy". Essentially, their heads would explode because you didn't enter a sterile, zen-like composition of underwater forests, beaches, "middle earth" scenes, and mountains, which is what has been in "vogue" in the 'scaping world for some time.

Aquascaping aesthetic and our definition of what defines "natural" in this context is being re-defined, expanded..Minds are opening up, if only a few at a time-but they are opening up. And everyone wins as a result.

I love that. 

So, rebellious digression aside here, the point of this little piece is that you simply need to employ all of the same types of practices and common sense with a "New Botanical"- style aquarium as you would with any other. The main differences are aesthetics, and embracing and understanding some of the processes and "behaviors" of our botanicals when they are added to our aquariums.

We're still very much at the "ground floor" of what is becoming a more and more "bonafide movement" within the hobby. Everyone's experience and input is valuable at this stage, as we learn together about the nuances- good and bad- of utilizing these amazing natural materials in our aquarium displays.

 (Luis Navarro's new tank- the early stages of something special!)

Remember to share. Remember to learn and have fun- the two are not mutually exclusive, as you know.

Stay creative. Stay adventurous. Stay methodical.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Flooding your own rain forest..Simulating an igapo in your aquarium?

We've seen more and more really cool experiments with leaves and botanicals in aquariums, and I correspond with hobbyists daily who are interested in incorporating leaf  litter beds- or rather, simulating leaf litter bed biotopes in their aquariums. With all of the interest in keeping aquariums filled with leaves, it's a good time to talk about the wild leaf beds for a little more inspiration, and to help you with your "scheming!"

Some of the more dynamic leaf-litter zones in the Amazon region (my sort of "go-to" biotope for inspiration) are annual features, found in rain forests on low-lying tributaries of major rivers. Under the influence of these larger rivers, you will see various water depths based on the annual cycle of inundation. This influx of water floods surrounding rain forest areas, and the result is a feature called an igapo.

Obviously, a flooded forest floor has a lot of leaves and botanical materials accumulated, which influences the "topography" and water chemistry of this habitat. Often, these areas form channels a few meters wide, and result in "meanders", which are pockets of water that course away from- and back to- the main streams. During the low water season, you'll see the leaf litter accumulating in these "meanders", with the diversity of life they contain.

Although igapó forests are characterized by sandy acidic soils that have a low nutrient content, the tributaries that feed them are often found over a fine-grained, whitish sand, so as an aquarist, you a a lot of options for substrate!

How deep are these litter  beds? Well, they can range from just a few inches deep to a few foot or more, depending upon the prevailing water movement, topography, and time of year. Interestingly, the fishes that inhabit these beds and the areas adjacent to them tend to stay in their little "niches", so for the aquarist planning such a system, you can created a community of fishes that each have their own "territory", if you will- a really cool idea to consider when stocking a tank!

First off, from a purely "compositional" standpoint, the leaf litter bed in an aquarium can and should consist of whatever leaves you enjoy. Obviously, we are big fans of tropical leaves, such as the much-loved Catappa leaf, as well as Guava. More recently, we've embraced some new leaves, such as Jackfruit, Loquat, and Magnolia- leaves from entirely different parts of the world, which lend a different look, aesthetic, and "functionality", if you will- to an aquarium leaf litter bed.

It's important to incorporate botanicals with long "functional life spans" when contemplating a deep leaf litter bed, because replacing these materials often could become a chore! Of course, that's why we now offer larger packs of leaves- to keep your life simple!

As we've discussed before, Amazonian leaf litter beds are home to a surprising variety and population density of fishes, with some studies of igapos yielding as many as 20-40 different species of fishes in a 200 square meter area!  And, the majority of the specimens found in these studies are small, averaging around 40mm-100mm (1.5"- 3.9") in length! This is interesting from an aquarist's perspective, because we can create a pretty dynamic and interesting environment, with lots of cool small fishes,  if considerations are made for tank size, filtration and husbandry. 

I would encourage you to utilize several different types of leaves in your litter bed, for the simple reason that each type has different "durability characteristics." I always make it a point to include the more transient Catppa, with a larger "base" being durable leaves, such as Magnolia, and a slightly smaller percentage of Guava. This way, you've got leaves in various stages of decomposition in your system at any given time, lending a cool look and imparting a more consistent "tint" to your water.

Of late, I've played more with just leaving my leaves alone for longer periods of time, with less new leaves going in, and leaving the decomposing leaves in until they're gone. This has created a very stable appearance, nitrate and phosphate reading, and pH. Not that these were issues before when I was constantly exchanging leaves, but I do notice a much more consistent pH in the tank. Nitrate and phosphate have rarely been above minimally detectible levels. However, being a sort of biological "yardstick" for water quality, it's nice to keep them as low as possible. (the reefer in me talking here...).

Who's going to try a display with a really deep (like 5-8 inches) leaf litter bed? Can it be done? I don't see why not, if provision is made for aeration, filtration, and water quality management.  You just need to understand what's going on in the tank, and to find its "normal operating values" in terms of pH and other water quality parameters. I would think that this would be a situation when it would be advisable to steep many of the leaves for much longer periods of time before use, to leach out a lot of the initial tannin they contain, so their impact on the pH of the water is moderated just a bit.

As we've discussed before, maintaining a very acid tank (like below 6) presents a set of challenges that will keep you on your toes. In particular, the biological filtration provided by beneficial bacteria, which we take for granted in most aquariums, essentially shuts down at really low pH values, which would leave you dependent upon zeolites and/or other chemical filtration media for successful operation.  I would do some studies on the pH over a few days or even a longer period before adding fishes, to get a feel for how such a leaf-heavy system performs. You could employ a buffering sand substrate to moderate this pH somewhat...again, much room for responsible experimentation here!

Piqued your interest yet? Perhaps you'd be breaking some new ground, aquarium-wise, in terms of trying something a bit different!

At the very least, I may have given myself the motivation I need to push forward and create an agape biotope in my own home!

Until next time...

Stay daring. Stay innovative. Stay excited...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics