Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful

I currently switched to using rooibos tea instead of coconut fibre, as it is more tannin rich and cleaner to use. I'm also currently trying to keep both aquatic and riparian plants in the same tank, and I have to fertilize it as competition is too strong.

Thank you!

*Blackwater

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you. Coconut fibre is a great alternative to sphagnum peat

Hi, how exactly do you use them ?

@@Just_Lurking8 i boil it, let it cool down than put in tank

@@MM-qh8go Thanks

I have used coconut fiber on 60 liter tank and about 200g was sufficient along with adding alder cones after each water changes. 2kg probably should be enough for 600 L, but you will need to wash it thoroughly because coconut fiber has lots of fine dust that can clog your filter sponges. I used to put it in mesh bag and hide it behind decor rather than keeping in filter.

Thank you. There are a 2.3W LED lamp (no brand) and IKEA spotlight table lamp.

Thank you! Actually, I never syphoned the bottom, because there was a lot of leaf litter and other debris, and apisto fry used to survive and even grow on microorganisms thriving in the leaf litter. I did 50% weekly water changes to dilute nitrates, and there was no large fish in that tank. Also, lots of amazon frogbit and pothos helped a lot with nitrates. Good luck with your blackwater project!

No it will be impossible to remove all decaying litter. I let it stay as it serves as perfect medium to grow bacteria and infusoria which fish fry feed on

I probably would not recommend it!

You filter should be able to remove the waste

@@tropicalfishhub thank you. Is a hang on back canister filter sufficient for a 50 ltr nano biotope setting?

@@debapriyopal8745 It should be absolutely enough

No never. They decompose and get eaten by plecos

I normally add ketapang leaf in my sump tank how long can it last in it?

@@Alphlax0850 They don't last long. Usually a couple of weeks before it starts decaying

That's a valid point! Detritus will eventually decay producing ammonia which the plants - either riparian or aquatic - will greedily consume. if there are no plants and no filtration, then only frequent water changes can help.

@@tropicalfishhub ok of course perhaps I should be comparing freshwater plants to marine algae (instead of corals) to wrap my head around the biological process. 🍻

I probably would not do that. Black tea is too acidic and can be harmful to fish.

@@tropicalfishhub I was more concerned about the caffeine, anyway ok thanks!

@@susannacremasco9705 I'm late to this, but the tea you want to use is Rooibos. It is an African bush, the roots are used to make tea. It has no caffeine, and is perfectly safe for the aquarium. The color is on the reddish-brown side, I find it quite beautiful and use it in my aquarium without any issues. It's also very inexpensive. Just put the tea bag in like you're making tea, wait for water to come to room temperature then add to your tank after a water change. Enjoy.

I add tea regularly. Out tap water is crazy hard . I keep my blackwater tank only RO/DI water. But at the end of the water change I add tea brewed in tap water that adds a tiny amount of hardness to stabilize and re blackens the water. This isn’t much maybe a liter out of 120 liters

@@philcarlino6942 Thanks for sharing! I never heard of it. Will certainly try it