# Cambodia Blackwater Pool Biotope



## George Farmer

You can see exactly how I set this up in the Sept '09 issue of PFK.  

It's rewarding to step out of one's comfort zone and try to aquascape without plants for a change.  The fish love it too.  

Biotopes are much easier than most planted set-ups and are relatively inexpensive, so why not consider one yourself...?

I'm learning new aquascaping tricks with each biotope and plan to utilise them in a nice planted set-up once my PFK biotope series has been completed.   Happy times!

Thanks to Wildwoods for supplying the fish and to Peter Kirwan for the wood.


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## glenn

very nice, *i want one!*   i wouldent mind trying my hand at a biotope, possibly chiclids(dont know which ones  ).
 is the water naturaly that tinted or has it been edited to look like that?



i love the texture the oak leaves add to the bottom. and all with *no* plants!  great job.


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## George Farmer

Thanks, Glenn.

The water is stained with Indian almond leaf 'tea bags' in the filter.  Also the oak leaves stain the water further.


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## glenn

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Thanks, Glenn.
> 
> The water is stained with Indian almond leaf 'tea bags' in the filter.  Also the oak leaves stain the water further.


are they the leaves that supposedly stimulate breeding?


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## George Farmer

glenn said:
			
		

> George Farmer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, Glenn.
> 
> The water is stained with Indian almond leaf 'tea bags' in the filter.  Also the oak leaves stain the water further.
> 
> 
> 
> are they the leaves that supposedly stimulate breeding?
Click to expand...

Apparently they perform a whole host of good stuff.

http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... ts_id=1740


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## neelhound

im converting my 600l into an amazon biotope, and ive been inspired further by this


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## Superman

George this is super nice, it's like the Chocolate Gourmai one that was around a while ago.
Like you said, it's good to step aside from the norm and what your good at - that can be said in all walks of life.

How did you find tank maintainence?

I guess the dark water helps prevent algae?


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## Stu Worrall

ill have a look later George but im suer it looks great. work are blocking Flickr now as its "social networking" apparently


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## George Farmer

Thanks, guys!



			
				Superman said:
			
		

> George this is super nice, it's like the Chocolate Gourmai one that was around a while ago.
> Like you said, it's good to step aside from the norm and what your good at - that can be said in all walks of life.
> 
> How did you find tank maintainence?
> 
> I guess the dark water helps prevent algae?


Cheers Clark!

Maintenance is super-easy!  25% water change per week (RO) to keep pollutants down.  I only had the lights on for a couple of hours at dinner time, as the tank's in the kitchen, so virtually no algae.  I don't think I cleaned the glass once in the layout's life.  

I fed the fish a lot - little and very often, which is ideal for most small fish.  In a non-planted tank there's less fear about over-feeding causing algae (I have a huge external filter on it too - with the flow restricted).

For me biotopes are all about giving the fish the best conditions possible - water temp/chemistry, flow, decor, food etc.

On the other hand, some hi-tech planted tanks are all about the plants (CO2/liquid carbon, NPK, super flow etc.), with the fish perhaps taking a lower priority, except for their aesthetic purpose.  I'm as 'guilty' as the next man there...   

Don't get me wrong.  I still love hi-tech planted tanks and look forward very much to setting one up when the series is over.  But I do have a new perception on fish and their habitats that I will take into consideration with future layouts. 

Wait until you see my UK lake biotope!!


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## neelhound

if youre wanting sticklebacks for that biotope you can go get them from local streams. sticklebacks look nice.


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## TDI-line

Uber nice George.      8)


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## samc

thats pretty damn cool!  

did you enjoy having this tank as much as a planted one?


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## a1Matt

neelhound said:
			
		

> if youre wanting sticklebacks for that biotope you can go get them from local streams. sticklebacks look nice.



+1 for the sticklebacks   My first tank, aged 10, was a stickleback biotope and I've been hooked ever since  

Looking forward to seeing your UK biotope George


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## John Starkey

Hi George,
well exacuted but it dosent do anything for me i am afraid,i like a bit of greenery   ,
regards john.


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## George Farmer

john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi George,
> well exacuted but i dosent do anything for me i am afraid,i like a bit of greenery   ,
> regards john.


Thanks, John.  

I understand what you're saying and I do generally prefer the aesthetics of a well-aquascaped planted tank.


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## Iliveinazoo

Very smart looking biotype  

what benefit do the oak leaves bring?  I thought that they would just decay and produce ammonia?  Could you put them in a tank and forget about them or do you have to replace them every couple of weeks?

I'll look forward to the UK lake biotype and to find out if you need a chiller, I'm sure it'll look nothing like the oil-drum ridden lake that I grew up next to!!


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## neelhound

Maybe you could go for a hillstream setup or a colder SA setup( you could put a shoal of Corydoras Barbatus in, a larger cory ive always wanted) then you could leave the temp at room temp. But of course the UK one will be amazing!
Also, i created a thread about dried leaves, you can read that, it answers all your questions on it


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## AdAndrews

looks crackin, im still coming along with that neolamprogus multifascius biotope, hopefully i will have all the stuff to do that in another few weeks- i wish i was you, getting to create all thouse beautiful tanks and getting payed for it


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## lljdma06

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Thanks, guys!
> For me biotopes are all about giving the fish the best conditions possible - water temp/chemistry, flow, decor, food etc.
> 
> On the other hand, some hi-tech planted tanks are all about the plants (CO2/liquid carbon, NPK, super flow etc.), with the fish perhaps taking a lower priority, except for their aesthetic purpose.  I'm as 'guilty' as the next man there...
> 
> Don't get me wrong.  I still love hi-tech planted tanks and look forward very much to setting one up when the series is over.  But I do have a new perception on fish and their habitats that I will take into consideration with future layouts.
> 
> Wait until you see my UK lake biotope!!



What?!     This is awesome!  This philosophy sounds very similar to someone else's philosophy.  I wonder who?   

The marriage between the two is what I ultimately go for, for both high-tech and low-tech systems.  That is why fish choice is so incredibly important for me and you stress this in your aquascaping guides in this forum.  Even in my high-tech Dutch, I will not put a fish into that tank that will not thrive in that environment.  All the fish selected prefer clean, clear, water with good circulation (not necessarily rapid flow) and dense vegitation.  The moth catfish also likes dense vegitation, clear water, a sand substrate, and some wood, so I've had to adapt the Dutch layout to fufill its needs.  I sifted through _three_ volumes of Baensch and _dozens_ of websites before I found the fish that would do well in a high-tech environment, conform to the Dutch rules about fish choice, _and_ be _small_ enough to thrive in a nano aquarium.  The size of the tank is also a consideration and many do not see this.  They put cardinal tetras in a 4g and it is too small a space for them, or  zebra danios  that love fast-flowing, oxygen-rich waters, in a densly planted, high CO2 10g and there is not enough swimming space, or _shade_-loving species in a high-light Iwagumi with no background plants and a light backdrop.  Yes, it may _seem_ cool, but the fish are certainly not pleased.    

Glad you are embracing this style, George.  It is very rewarding.  I expect some serious croaking out of that tank.    

The tank looks great.    I am excited to see the UK biotope.


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## Kevina

Hi George, really nice tank. I have missed out on getting the PFK biotope series of articles, what month did you start doing them?
I am planning on doing a Discus Biotope soon and am probably gonna be using Sand bottom, very sparse plants, (maybe some frogbit, lots of roots and peat filtered water and dimly lit.
Have you got any suggestions? what sand would be right for a true discus biotope, silver or sharp or some other?
What lighting would you advise using, what lighting have you used in this tank?
Where did you get your wood?
What leaves could I use for a true discus biotope, I would be interested in using hanging branches with leaves on like the discus biotope in the december issue of pfk
Also how do you stay away from getting Black Brush Algae in a tank with little light, low flow and no CO2?

Sorry for all the questions but that's the only way to learn.
Kind regards Kev.


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## George Farmer

Hi Kev

Thanks for the feedback and questions.

I started the PFK biotope series in the September 2009 issue.  You can see three of them here -

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2 ... y=1&vol=-1

Silver sand or even play sand would be ok.  Keep it shallow and well-maintained to prevent anoxic build-up.  

You would be accurate to leave out planting to replicate a realistic discus habitat, according to Heiko Bleher.  Some floating frogbit would work though and would provide additional shelter and biological filtration.

Over the series I have used a wide variety of wood from locally collected (Ireland, E. Midlands) to pieces available in shops such as Sumatra wood (Unipac).  My biotopes are not 100% accurate, as I like to balance something that is achievable by mosy hobbyists with something that looks accurate.

I do not know what leaves you could easily obtain that come from a true discus habitat.  You could apply some artistic licensing and choose from oak, copper beech or catappa (Indian almond leaves).  Ensure they are dead and dried before using.  Boiling them up prior to use is effective and allows them to sink immediately.  They will also help with the blackwater tint effect.

Black brush/beard algae (BBA) is usually associated with fluctuating CO2 levels in combination with inppropriate lighting levels.  Circulation, in my experience, doesn't influence it so much.  I would say that it shouldn't be much of an issue in the kind of set-up you propose.  If it does start then invest in some liquid carbon and spot dose 1/2 regular dose on infected areas and it will kill it right away before it takes hold.  I would be surprised if you have a BBA issue with a non-CO2, low-light set-up with plenty of floating plants.


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## Kevina

Thanks george for the info, I've gained a lot of knowledge from this forum and am most grateful.
I already dose my 5ft planted tank with Excel along with fe CO2 setup so have the liquid CO2 incase BBA appears.
I'm looking forward to starting my discus biotope and think that my discus will be happier in it than in my well lit planted tank their in at the moment. I'll probably get started on it in the next few months! Gotta get a new four foot tank first.
I might even do a journal on here when I get the new kit.
I think I'll go with the Indian almond leaves as I can get them on Ebay and they give the water the blackwater effect that I'm gonna be looking for.
What lighting have you used for your blackwater tank?
Thanks for the links to the other articles by the way they look really interesting.
Kind regards Kev.


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## Kevina

Sorry George, just noticed the lighting on the link you provided.
Cool.
Thanks Kev.


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## George Farmer

Hi Kev

Lighting isn't really important for this type of set-up, as we're not after fast plant growth.  Floating plants are near the light source and have as much CO2 as they need from the air, so one tube will probably be fine.

Choose a spectrum that suits your taste.  In blackwater a pink/purple tube looks good as it really enhances the colours.  I'm not usually a fan of these in 'normal' aquascapes, as the colour rendition looks unatural.  However, the tannins alter the colour rendition of the tank's inhabitants significantly, so the pink/purple tubes work well in this case.

If you're using T5 then the Arcadia Pro Plant look great, in my opinion.  T8s then the Grolux or Arcadia Original Tropical.  If you're using multiple tubes then combining these with a daylight (4000-8000K) tube would work well.


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## Kevina

Yes, I think I will only be using 1 t5 as I want quite a blackwater, shady kind of feel and won't need too much lighting as am not intending to plant into the substrate. In my planted I use 1 reddish hue tube with 1 daylight spectrum.


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