Looks good so far! Have you considered a background for the tank? Some vinyl, in my opinion, would look nice and is easy to adhere to the back of the tank.
Glad to see others getting into the black water tanks. Mine is by far my favorite tank and probably the easiest to maintain. Why are you only getting one pair of apistos? You should be able to do at least 2 pair
Edit: Tannin aquatics is great stuff, but for leaf litter get local oak leaves as they last a lot longer.
So I was out walking and came across this stump and saw a great piece of wood I could use . Looks like it hasn't been touching the ground and out of the water for a while . Went home and got my saw , the only thing that worries me is I saw some ants come out of it . I will soak it and power wash it hope it will be ok . Any suggestions like maybe a bleach soak
I'd probably spend some time cutting away that flat end. Maybe use a hand saw to cut a couple wedge shaped chucks out and then use something like a dremel to take some of the obviously man-made cuts/angles out. The goal would be to make it look more like a jagged edge where is cracked and broke off the tree.
As far as prep goes, I'm not sure I would use a bleach solution unless I had somewhere to soak it multiple times afterward to remove any remaining. I'd go for plenty of hot water and a good soak,
Wow that wood is a lot larger than I thought now that it's in the tank. Sure is a statement piece! Putting the flat surface in the corner helps hide the cut well too.
Crypto Wendtiis are from Sri Lanka, anubias from Central and west Africa, and your stock are south american. Here's a guide about biotopes What is a biotope aquarium? ? Biotope Aquarium
Yes, yes, more blackwater! I guarantee that big chunk of wood will leach tannins for a while. If you want more tannins and leaf litter, find some oak leaves or see if you can get your hands on some magnolia leaves - I collect leaves from Magnolia grandiflora and have used them in my tanks for years. They are sturdy and last for months, and they don't look "familiar" if you know what I mean. Oak leaves look too domestic for my tastes.
Your proposed plants will do fine in blackwater, don't worry about adhering to self imposed biotope rules. It depends on how crazy you want to get, but I like the challenge of trying to recreate a fish's environment down to the water chemistry. A 75 gallon is 6 sq ft of floor space, so I think you could do two pairs of Apistogramma easily.
Well I think I might not use the big piece . I think the wood has been sprayed with either weed killer or pesticide the tank had a funny chemical smell. I did find it near a walking path at a local park soit is possible that it had been sprayed. I probably need to replace the sand to since I am not sure? Since it was in the water to what you guys think .
Ohhh, you do have it kind of started! That drifrwood is perfect for your tank! Awesome find out in the wild.
Your apisto looks great too, definitely going to like the 75.
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