40 Gallon Tank Starting my faux blackwater journey

I thought it would be cool to make a log of my progress so far while starting up this new 40 breeder! I’m on day and feeling good about the project. I originally wanted to do blackwater, but decided (with some help on here) to go with a blackwater looking tank instead because my water has naturally high pH. This will be my first and possibly only tank in my new apartment, so I’m excited and want to make sure everything goes well.

Day 1 - 1/13

Purchased a used 40g breeder and stand on Facebook Marketplace. Did not see the tank in person before purchasing because of the drive to get there. It used to be a turtle habitat and came with a fake stone ledge siliconed onto the side of the aquarium, which I could immediately tell couldn’t be used due to mold in between the tank glass and the silicone. Spent a few hours sanitizing and removing dirt with white vinegar and a sponge.

Day 2 - 1/14

Purchased an all-purpose .5 cubic ft sand bag from a home improvement store. Visited a few fish stores in my new area (chain and local) to get a sense of what was easily accessible to me in terms of fish and plants. Spent much more time than I expected on the rest of the cleaning for the tank. I had to forcibly break off (in pieces) the stone ledge that was attached because I couldn’t get the silicone off otherwise. Went back over the tank with a razor blade and white vinegar a few times and I was amazed at how much better it looked.

Day 3 - 1/15
Cleaned off some of my old tank supplies and put them into the tank (my Beamswork light bar and my Tetra Power Filter 60). I’m not sure yet if I’ll be using the heater I have or whether I will buy a new one with adjustable temperature settings. Laid out all of the sand to see if I had enough, but I think I’m satisfied for now. I wanted white sand but couldn’t find any cheap bags near me, but after looking at this for a day I think it’ll be fine.

 

I thought it would be cool to make a log of my progress so far while starting up this new 40 breeder! I’m on day and feeling good about the project. I originally wanted to do blackwater, but decided (with some help on here) to go with a blackwater looking tank instead because my water has naturally high pH. This will be my first and possibly only tank in my new apartment, so I’m excited and want to make sure everything goes well.

Day 1 - 1/13

Purchased a used 40g breeder and stand on Facebook Marketplace. Did not see the tank in person before purchasing because of the drive to get there. It used to be a turtle habitat and came with a fake stone ledge siliconed onto the side of the aquarium, which I could immediately tell couldn’t be used due to mold in between the tank glass and the silicone. Spent a few hours sanitizing and removing dirt with white vinegar and a sponge.

Day 2 - 1/14

Purchased an all-purpose .5 cubic ft sand bag from a home improvement store. Visited a few fish stores in my new area (chain and local) to get a sense of what was easily accessible to me in terms of fish and plants. Spent much more time than I expected on the rest of the cleaning for the tank. I had to forcibly break off (in pieces) the stone ledge that was attached because I couldn’t get the silicone off otherwise. Went back over the tank with a razor blade and white vinegar a few times and I was amazed at how much better it looked.

Day 3 - 1/15
Cleaned off some of my old tank supplies and put them into the tank (my Beamswork light bar and my Tetra Power Filter 60). I’m not sure yet if I’ll be using the heater I have or whether I will buy a new one with adjustable temperature settings. Laid out all of the sand to see if I had enough, but I think I’m satisfied for now. I wanted white sand but couldn’t find any cheap bags near me, but after looking at this for a day I think it’ll be fine.

I'm so excited for you! I'm definitely following. I can't wait to see the aquascape! It looks amazing!

 

Day 4 - 1/16

Bought a black background, cut it down to size, and applied it to the back of the tank. Smoothing out bubbles was a lot trickier than expected. Also bought new filter cartridges because the old ones I had looked too gross to justify trying to clean.

Day 5 - 1/17

Found an interesting piece of driftwood on Facebook Marketplace, but seller is out of town until next Tuesday. It looks like it’ll be a bit taller and wider than my tank but I don’t mind it sticking out of the top and I am sure I can saw off part of the branch that is too long.

Noticed my floor is slanted. Put a little bit of water in the tank and it looks like the water level is pretty noticeably uneven. Not sure if this will pose a structural issue? I may post a separate thread asking about this issue.

 

I'd very most definitely do something about the slanting; mostly by making the stand itself even. And a mat between the stand and tank helps a bit once the tank is filled.

 

Awesome. Good start. 40 breeders are one of my favorite sizes. I always used to like spray painting the background on my tanks years ago, but it started to become a hassle because it has to be done just right. It's much better then a store bought one though if you ever get water on the back of the tank with store bought, it essentially ruins it and has to be ripped off. Actually, ironically, the last time I tried spray painting the background on a tank it was a 40 breeder. Lol.

Should be interesting to see a large group of schooling fish in this tank, whatever route you decide to go.

 

A static window screen, with a dark tint, doesn't cost much, can be applied with water, can be taken off, and re-applied again.

For example: https://www.amazon.com/Blackout-Blo...249&sprefix=dark+window+screen,aps,163&sr=8-4

Maybe for next occasions.

 

Awesome. Good start. 40 breeders are one of my favorite sizes. I always used to like spray painting the background on my tanks years ago, but it started to become a hassle because it has to be done just right. It's much better then a store bought one though if you ever get water on the back of the tank with store bought, it essentially ruins it and has to be ripped off. Actually, ironically, the last time I tried spray painting the background on a tank it was a 40 breeder. Lol.

Should be interesting to see a large group of schooling fish in this tank, whatever route you decide to go.

I bet you can get some really interesting backgrounds with spray paint!

I’m really liking the dimensions of this tank so far. There’s a lot I could potentially do with stocking definitely. The only thing I’m certain about is Cory cats because they’re my favorite.

A static window screen, with a dark tint, doesn't cost much, can be applied with water, can be taken off, and re-applied again.

For example: https://www.amazon.com/Blackout-Blocking-Darkening-Removable-17-7x78-7/dp/B0833Y7MS4/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1KYGC9XUCDUY4&keywords=dark+window+screen&qid=1674040249&sprefix=dark+window+screen,aps,163&sr=8-4

Maybe for next occasions.

That’s a neat idea, thank you. I’ll definitely keep that in mind in the future

Day 6 - 1/18

I addressed the slanting issue by cutting down a spare 1/4 inch plank and sticking those squares under the back legs. It’s not perfectly level by any means but it’s a lot better and I don’t feel like it will cause major issues.

I went to my LFS mostly the look around when I stumbled across a really unique kind of driftwood piece and had to have it. It’s also the perfect size for my tank so no cutting it down! I’m quite pleased. I had been waiting for the driftwood before purchasing plants, so I also went ahead and bought myself 3 green hedge (alrernanthera ficoidea), 2 mayaca fluviatilis, and 2 alternanthera reineckii. I made a point to stay all South American.

After doing more reading, it seems that the green hedge is only semi aquatic. Luckily, the plan for these ones was to attach them at junctions in the driftwood, so it wasn’t a big deal to me to attach them high enough that their leaves would be at least partly out of the water. I only attached them with thin sewing thread, so I’m not sure how well that will hold but I had heard it would be safe to biodegrade in the tank. I don’t 100% know yet where I’ll put the other plants or if I may want any more of the mayaca plant.

Once I filled up the water more, the driftwood kept trying to float, so I had to weigh it down with river stone I happened to have. The plan is to get aquarium safe silicone and glue some rocks to the bottom of the driftwood instead of their current precarious position. I may need to get more stones anyway, not sure yet how I want the stone part of my scape to look. Now I’ll wait for the water to clear (I did try to disperse it off a tank divider when I poured it so it’s not as bad as it could be) and think about getting some silicone. I’d also like to get a floater, maybe dwarf water lettuce (not sure if South American though) or salvinia minima.

 

I went and bought myself some silicone. I’m also in the process of ordering some pennywort and frogbit. I think I’d like to have the pennywort stuck in and around some stones as if breaking through the cracks. Not sure yet though. I’ve got river rocks, the 3 pennywort, and the 4 other plants I mentioned yesterday to play around with. Not sure if I’ll need anything else or what exactly I want to do with the rest of the scape yet, so if anyone has suggestions please share!

I did a large water change because I had nothing better to do in order to speed up the sand settling. It is definitely clearer but obviously not where I’d like it to be. I’m fine to wait of course, but I did turn on the filter and I’ve started cycling with fish food. I know this method isn’t exact and can be slower but I don’t want to spend money on ordering ammonia (I can’t find it for cheap anywhere around).

 

Day 8 - 1/20
Day 9 - 1/21
Day 10 - 1/22

Not much to report these past couple days. I’ve been cycling the tank. I think I should take out the driftwood to dry to glue plants on it rather than having used the thread, but it’s absorbed enough water now that it doesn’t keep trying to float on its own so I kind of don’t want to mess with it. I really don’t know what to do with the rest of this scape honestly, so I’ll take the next few days to look at inspiration. I think I’ll want more river stone and I may end up wanting more plants then I thought to possibly make a small forest in a back corner or one side of the tank. Any input is welcome! I also need to go ahead and order my botanicals and purchase an adjustable heater.

Right now I’m running a Tetra Whisper 60 and let me tell you that thing does not whisper. Debating switching to running my sponge filter but I don’t know if it alone can handle the anticipated bioload of potentially cories, an angel or two, maybe a dither school and maybe a pair of dwarf cichlids. I need to decide what to do with my stocking to really assess that though. I’m making a separate thread now.

 

Is it possible to let the third part, currently sticking out, rest on the back of the tank. It looks a little.... I mean, I like parts sticking out, but only if it follows natural laws. If I'd seen your piece in the wild, I expect it to fall down more sooner than later. It looks uneasy right now.

Or place the left foot all the way to the back, and let the part sticking out rest on the front. Perhaps makes it more dramatic.

Have a look at Hydrocotyle plant species. You can place these between branches without glueing. They "creep", so you can direct them over your wood in jungle fashion.

 

Is it possible to let the third part, currently sticking out, rest on the back of the tank. It looks a little.... I mean, I like parts sticking out, but only if it follows natural laws. If I'd seen your piece in the wild, I expect it to fall down more sooner than later. It looks uneasy right now.

Or place the left foot all the way to the back, and let the part sticking out rest on the front. Perhaps makes it more dramatic.

Have a look at Hydrocotyle plant species. You can place these between branches without glueing. They "creep", so you can direct them over your wood in jungle fashion.

I liked that idea, thank you. I played around with it and determined there’s no way it fits all the way in the tank. I decided I liked it tilted against the front—against the back looked weird because then my light bar had to be in front

 

Day 11 - 1/24

I realized I may have made a mistake. I put in plants a few days ago (not planted just kind of loose in the tank). They haven’t been looking as great lately and it occurred to me that oh duh I need the heater on for them. I had it off because my brain said “no fish, so no heater needed yet.” Anyway, I turned on a temporary heater and I plan to go to my LFS tomorrow to get an adjustable heater and Flourish liquid plant fertilizer. And I’m also worried that I’ve delayed my cycling by not having on the heater. Would that have affected the growth of beneficial bacteria at all to have the temperate that low (what I’d have to guess was low 60s since I keep my apartment around 64 when I’m not there and 68 when I am)??

On a side note, the driftwood has started accruing what I guess is biofilm. I know it’s more or less harmless but it was kind of grossing me out, so I took them out and wiped them down. I attached pictures just to confirm. They’re still out of the tank drying right now, since I figured if I’m taking them out anyway, so I may as well let them dry completely to silicone the rocks to hold them down.

Planning on going hunting for oak leaves and other things of that sort soon. I’ll look into how to make them aquarium safe though. I did check out Tannin Aquatics as someone suggested, but they seemed to be sold out of a lot.

Day 12 - 1/25

I went to my LFS and purchased the Flourish and the 200 watt adjustable heater I wanted. The temporary heater I had was 150 watts and preset. I can’t recall its name offhand but I will include it in the listed tank materials when I feel like finding the box later. I also came back with three little mayaca fluviatilis. I previously wrote I had bought two of those but I had meant to put vandelli originally.

While there, I also asked about some species I was considering stocking and their general availability (I made a separate thread to figure out stocking with some very helpful people). What I think I’ve come to is: 2 Bolivian rams, 8 sterbai cories, and 15-20 number of beckfords pencilfish or green neon tetras. I am considering potentially just doing a trio of Bolivians in case I don’t end up with a m:f pair.

I took my tank readings today as well and they are:
pH 7.4
KH 5
GH 5
NH3/NH4+ .25 ppm
NO2- 0 ppm
I didn’t measure nitrates because they’re present in my tap water anyway. I assume I’m using too little fish food if the ammonia is only at that level?

 

You most likely don't need a heater for them.

They are getting worse, because they most likely were grown emersed.

Suppliers/retailers should add warning stickers..... "if you place this plant in a tank with water, it will drown" ...along with tips how to adapt it.

Your plants are going further down hill in the days / weeks to come. Question is, are they also suitable for a faux blackwater tank.

For plants, I'd look at cryptocoryne to be planted in the substrate (will also melt initially, but comes back suited for faux blackwater, as many crypt species originate from such waters), java ferns attached to the wood, and Hydrocotyle leucocephala creeping over the wood, filter....perhaps add a few suction cups in the back to direct their growth close to the water surface (both above and below). And a couple of floaters.

I rinse (oak) leaves with water and that's it.

 

You most likely don't need a heater for them.

They are getting worse, because they most likely were grown emersed.

Suppliers/retailers should add warning stickers..... "if you place this plant in a tank with water, it will drown" ...along with tips how to adapt it.

Your plants are going further down hill in the days / weeks to come. Question is, are they also suitable for a faux blackwater tank.

For plants, I'd look at cryptocoryne to be planted in the substrate (will also melt initially, but comes back suited for faux blackwater, as many crypt species originate from such waters), java ferns attached to the wood, and Hydrocotyle leucocephala creeping over the wood, filter....perhaps add a few suction cups in the back to direct their growth close to the water surface (both above and below). And a couple of floaters.

I rinse (oak) leaves with water and that's it.

Thank you for bringing this up. It hadn’t occurred to me because the store keeps them submerged that, but yeah after reading a little up on it, that seems to be what’s happening. I wasn’t able to find much on how to help them though? I can add CO2 and prune dead leaves but not sure there’s much beyond that I can do.

I have some crypts in my betta tank that I quite like, but I’m trying to keep the plants South American as well. I have order some floaters which I’m excited about. I’ll wait to do any more plants due to budget, but I like the idea of the creeping ones.

Also good to know about the oak leaves, thanks!

 

Thank you for bringing this up. It hadn’t occurred to me because the store keeps them submerged that, but yeah after reading a little up on it, that seems to be what’s happening. I wasn’t able to find much on how to help them though? I can add CO2 and prune dead leaves but not sure there’s much beyond that I can do.

I have some crypts in my betta tank that I quite like, but I’m trying to keep the plants South American as well. I have order some floaters which I’m excited about. I’ll wait to do any more plants due to budget, but I like the idea of the creeping ones.

Also good to know about the oak leaves, thanks!

This reminded me of your tank: What are you doing to your tank today? | General Discussion Forum

 

This reminded me of your tank: What are you doing to your tank today? | General Discussion Forum

What a great inspo picture!

 

Day 13 - 1/26

I dosed the Flourish when I got it yesterday, and today I’m starting with CO2. I tried to prune the plants to encourage new growth as well. I don’t know that there’s really anything else I can really do about their slow descent. I suppose I could take them out and grow them emersed for a bit, but that doesn’t solve the problem of adapting them to submersed living.

I went to get a nerite snail for my betta tank from my LFS and asked about the other fish. They used to get in sterbai’s, but they said the quality they were receiving was not worth what they were paying and they were going for about $10 per fish, which is definitely not something I’m interested in paying. Their bronze cories look good though and they’re half the price, so I think I will have to switch to them. They did have salt and pepper cories, which I’d never seen in store before, but I don’t think they’re right for this tank. So with the bronze cories, the Bolivians, and either the pencilfish or green neons, I think I could set the temperature around 77 and they’d be fine. The LFS said they could add green neons to their order if I called next week, but I completely forgot about the pencilfish.

Day 14 - 1/27

Nitrites haven’t popped up yet, but my ammonia is in between 1.0-2.0, so that’s good.

I collected some leaves and put them in the tank today. I need more than what I have but it was a good start. I’m not sure if I need more river rock or small driftwood—I’m waiting for the rest of the plants coming in (a few pennywort and Amazon frogbit) and more leaves before deciding. I was hoping my water would be darker by now. More leaves and driftwood would help I suppose but I’m not sure they’ll be enough on their own. We’ll see.

 

Day 15 - 1/28
Day 16 - 1/29
Day 17 - 1/30
Day 18 - 1/31

Not much to say for the last few days. I did get my nitrites today though so that’s exciting. Hopefully won’t be long now. And my LFS told me to call tomorrow to confirm if they’ll get Bolivian Rams, pencil fish, and green neons (pencil fish preferred still I think).

I think the floaters and pennywort will be here this week. I’m considering buying roobios tea to tint the water, because I’ve realized when I have to do the water changes, it’ll remove most of the little tint I have. Also, I love how the leaves look in the tank, but I’m not liking that there have that fuzzy stuff on them that was on my driftwood. From what I remember reading, it’s harmless but correct me if I’m wrong. Should I take these leaves out before adding fish? I suppose I could just wipe them off like I did with the driftwood but I don’t want to have to keep doing that.

 

Day 19 - 2/1
Day 20 - 2/2
Day 21 - 2/3
Day 22 - 2/4

Lots of exciting news!

The rest of the plants came in. Everything looks great. I wish I’d ordered more though! I really like the frogbit and now want it in my betta’s tank too . I also had absolutely no concept of how many to get, and 30 definitely wasn’t enough in this tank. Debating whether I should get more or just let it grow?

I’m happy with my arrangement of plants and the ferts actually seem to have stopped the first batch’s decline. Hopefully with more time they’ll start improving as well.

I did have to wipe the white stuff off my driftwood for the third time the other day so that was annoying, but I think this should be the last time.

Most exciting of all: my tank cycled. It honestly went quicker than I expected but I’m not complaining. My GH is sitting at 6 and KH and 5 for now, with pH at 7.4, so not the worst it could be even if I’d like it lower.

And so I went and I got my bronze cories! I intended to get 8, but there were 9 total at the store and I wasn’t just going to leave the last one all alone So far they are super active little things and I love how they play and follow each other and then break off and come back together.

The Bolivian rams will be added in another few days—whenever I have the time. And then after them, the green neons—the LFS did not get in pencilfish, which is why I’m holding off on that school just in case they do next week. I could order online I guess but it’s just easier not to.

I added a roobios tea bag to help achieve the color I want, but it’s not as dark as I’d like still. We’ll see how it looks in another day or two.

Overall, I’m really pleased!

Edit: I’m not sure why that last picture looks green, but it doesn’t look green in real life.

 

It is coming in very nicely. I haven’t had frogbit but if it’s anything like water lettuce you should soon have enough for both tanks and more to spare! I have also found that tank photos sometimes come out green when they are not, don’t know why…

 

It is coming in very nicely. I haven’t had frogbit but if it’s anything like water lettuce you should soon have enough for both tanks and more to spare! I have also found that tank photos sometimes come out green when they are not, don’t know why…

Thank you! I’m happy others have been interested in this tank and I’m excited to have a project. And its interesting actually, I did move some to my betta tank and that frogbite has grown really well so far, whereas the frogbite in this tank hasn’t. Not sure why though. Might make a thread asking about it

 

Day 23 (2/5) - Day 29 (2/11)

Well, I’ve added my rams! I have to say I like them more in person compared to online so that was a bonus. I tried to get what I assumed was a male and two females but it’s hard to tell for me and also they’re young still. If anyone is able to ID them, let me know. Each picture I attached that has only one of them in it is a different ram.

They seem to get along really well with the cories. They’re unbothered by them swimming directly in their faces for the most part and I’ve seen them swim around the glass with them a little. These guys seem to be fine together or fine in a pair or individually. I’ve noticed a little what I want to call “false starts” at each other sometimes but they haven’t chased or anything.

Rooted plants are doing well! Frogbit is decidedly not. I made a thread about it.

The heater I got is a 250W for 65g from Aquatop and honestly it sucks. I have to run an additional preset 150W heater just to get it to 77 and even then most of the time it’s 76, which I know is a little too low for the rams. Any suggestions on better heaters?

Also, random: my big driftwood still has a little fuzz collecting in a thin layer around its top. I really don’t underhand why it’s still doing that.

 

Random update.

This tank has taken some twists and turns, but here it is today. Jungle vals and some anubias are the only plants — though not from the Amazon, I needed things there were easy to grow since my previous plants did not make it. I intend to add some floaters once they grow enough in my little tank. I also added more driftwood, spider wood this time, for some variety. Fishes are currently: 2 Bolivian rams, 8 ember tetras, 9 bronze cories (1 is albino).