# Nelson's  Low Tech Asian Blackwater



## Nelson (10 Nov 2016)

Tank-75x45x45cm optiwhite
Light-Nemo Aqua Fresh LED+Current Satellite Plus PRO
Filter-JBL E1500
Soil-Mixed-Colombo Flora-base,ADA Amazonia,EBI Gold shrimp
Stone-TGM Blue Stone
Wood-Blackthorn (Prunus Spinosa)
Plants-From http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/nelsons-comeback-low-tech.38351/

Still need to get some plants for the background.Possibly Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae,or something.

And just for Manisha,I've gone with boring wood and,eventually,blackwater .


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## Fiske (10 Nov 2016)

Looks great!


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## Tim Harrison (10 Nov 2016)

...Likin' it...likin' it alot


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## Manisha (10 Nov 2016)

Nelson said:


> ...Likin' it...likin' it alot



   This is nearly as bad as Tim's warts and all! Sickening how good these tanks look!!! 

In all honesty, you should enter one of the biotope contests ☺ Are those cinnamon sticks in there?!


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## Nelson (11 Nov 2016)

Manisha said:


> Are those cinnamon sticks in there?!


They're banana leaves.Some rolled up once wet.


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## EnderUK (11 Nov 2016)

I recommend alder cones for really black water. Also cinnamon sticks work.


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## Nelson (11 Nov 2016)

EnderUK said:


> I recommend alder cones for really black water.


There are some in there .


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## Manisha (11 Nov 2016)

Looks great - what livestock do you hope to keep?


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## Greenfinger2 (11 Nov 2016)

Hi Neil, Looks fantastic mate


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## Nelson (11 Nov 2016)

Manisha said:


> what livestock do you hope to keep?


I've already got about 30 Boraras brigittae and 10 merah.
And although they're from India,Botia Striata.I already had them.
If I can locate some,I'd like either/or Sphaerichthys osphromenoides,Sphaerichthys vaillanti,Parosphromenus sp.


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## Lindy (11 Nov 2016)

This looks ace, right up my street!

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## dean (11 Nov 2016)

Looks great 


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## sciencefiction (12 Nov 2016)

It looks great Nelson. It will be a nightmare to clean though  Kuhli loaches would really love to live amongst those leaves and branches in there....


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## nduli (12 Nov 2016)

nelson, looking fantastic, 2 quick questions, can you use branches from any cherry tree in tanks I have one in the front garden that needs to come out. I also have an alder tree in the back garden so can you use their branches also?


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## Nelson (12 Nov 2016)

I really don't know.I'd read cherry was ok,even with the bark on,but also read it wasn't ok to use .
So I just tried Blackthorn,and it seems alright at the moment .
Don't know about Alder.


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## Nelson (18 Nov 2016)




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## Nelson (18 Nov 2016)




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## nduli (19 Nov 2016)

Nelson said:


> I really don't know.I'd read cherry was ok,even with the bark on,but also read it wasn't ok to use .
> So I just tried Blackthorn,and it seems alright at the moment .
> Don't know about Alder.



Had some time to google last night general opinion is that cherry, alder and in fact any uk hardwood is likely to be ok. Just need to let it dry out to ensure sap has dried. Lots of advice in this forum and other well respected websites.


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## dw1305 (19 Nov 2016)

Hi all,





Nelson said:


> Don't know about Alder.


It should be all right. The wood is very rot resistant under water (but not in the air) and there is a lot of tannin in the bark.

cheers Darrel


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## nduli (19 Nov 2016)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,It should be all right. The wood is very rot resistant under water (but not in the air) and there is a lot of tannin in the bark.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Cheers Darrel. Looks like next scape will be blackwater then.


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## Nelson (19 Nov 2016)

nduli said:


> Looks like next scape will be blackwater then.


Great stuff .


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## Nelson (25 Nov 2016)

Camera practice with low light.


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## Nelson (25 Nov 2016)




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## Nelson (25 Nov 2016)




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## Greenfinger2 (25 Nov 2016)

Hi Neil. Very nice  Looking at your tank maybe I should get some fish  It does make the scape come too life. Another plus I could save money on the NPK ferts


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## Nelson (25 Nov 2016)

Greenfinger2 said:


> maybe I should get some fish


Now that would be a miracle .


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## Greenfinger2 (25 Nov 2016)

Nelson said:


> Now that would be a miracle .



Hi Neil, Well talking at the W/end with you guys and girls  I seem to be the odd one out Thinking of getting a couple of shrimp first though


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## Nelson (26 Nov 2016)

Went into London today to buy some Sundadanio axelrodi,and they also had some Sphaerichthys osphromenoides.
So got eight .They also had some Sphaerichthys vaillanti a month ago .









They also had Parosphromenus nagyi,but quite expensive.


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## Nelson (26 Nov 2016)




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## Gill (26 Nov 2016)

stunning in a subtle way. 
have you thought of adding some rosy loaches, they are such a pale rosy red, they would look lovely against the rasboras and gourami


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## Nelson (26 Nov 2016)

Gill said:


> have you thought of adding some rosy loaches


I have,but not still not sure,seems they like harder water.


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## Gill (26 Nov 2016)

Nelson said:


> I have,but not still not sure,seems they like harder water.


I had them in my sulawesi tank and they did just fine.


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## nduli (16 Dec 2016)

Nelson said:


> Went into London today to buy some Sundadanio axelrodi,and they also had some Sphaerichthys osphromenoides.
> So got eight .They also had some Sphaerichthys vaillanti a month ago .
> 
> View attachment 94949
> ...



Thus is exactly what I have been thinking of doing. My Xmas project is materialising before my eyes. Love these fish.


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## Doubu (17 Dec 2016)

Those choco gouramis are so friggginnnn cute! I am still waiting for the LFS to bring in some more female vallantis as I have a 1:8 ratio right now...


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## nduli (18 Dec 2016)

Neil, what you feeding them? Managed to find some at one of my Lfs but didn't buy as not got the tank ready yet. 
.


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## Nelson (18 Dec 2016)

Live daphnia and tubifex.Frozen cyclops.
Tried live glass worm and brine shrimp,also frozen daphnia,and they're not really interested .


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## dw1305 (18 Dec 2016)

Hi all, 





Nelson said:


> Live daphnia and tubifex.


They really like Grindal worms, but they won't follow them to the bottom of the tank. Mine will pick spring-tails and green-fly from the water surface, but vestigial winged fruit-flies were too big, they may be all right now the fish is bigger, but I don't have a culture any-more. Black-worms really get him excited, and will slurped like spaghetti, but if they wriggle too vigorously they can slip away into the depths.   

I've still got one (of the two) I "rescued" from a LFS a couple of years ago. 

I just felt really sorry for them, they were in poor condition and I knew it was a pointless transaction, but they amazingly recovered. Because they weren't a planned purchase I didn't really have any where to put them, other than in together in a 30 litre tank. I think mine were both males and I soon found out that two males and a small tank isn't a good combination with any Gourami.

cheers Darrel


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## ourmanflint (18 Dec 2016)

Which shop did you get the Chocolates from Nelson? Was it Wholesale Tropicals? I bought 8 from there a month back as well, doing really well on both freeze dried Daphnia & Brine Shrimp, and frozen mosquito larvae and brine shrimp. I also have a few Rosy loaches in the tank with them that were with the previous occupants, so no problem in pH 6-7 water I found.


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## Nelson (18 Dec 2016)

Yes,Wholesale Tropicals.They had about 20.
My PH is between 6-7.Want to get it to 6,but struggling.
I'll have to try some of what you're feeding .


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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)

Lost about 2/3rds of my Buce .Probably a mixture of low light,blackwater and low flow.
So rescaped.


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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)




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## Raptorendame (8 Jan 2017)

Such a beautiful tank!

What's the plants that you attached to the wood? My new tank is going to be asian themed with honey gouramis and I am still looking for plants  Already got a few nice ideas (want to do grow some partially emersed too), but those you got there look really lovely


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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)

Raptorendame said:


> What's the plants that you attached to the wood?


What's left of my Bucephalandra.


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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)




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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)




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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)




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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)




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## Lindy (8 Jan 2017)

Beautiful! I find my Chocos are voracious feeders. If might be down to having competition for food but there isn't anything I can put in that they won't try. They love the food discs I have that stick on the glass, sinking granules I put in for the loach get pinched. Even plec wafers I put in get pecked at. They are also partial to red pepper. Basically anything meant for another fish gets scoffed!

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## Lindy (8 Jan 2017)

The bit the eel loach can't reach





The bit for the eel loach and corys





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## Nelson (8 Jan 2017)

Mine are very picky with what they eat .
What brand are the stick on ones ?.


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## Lindy (8 Jan 2017)

Just premium stick on glass tablets from ebay. 



I think when they see other fish eating something they want to try it. The granules are ZM medium granules which are too big for their mouths but they will take them anyway and mouth them until small enough to eat.


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## Lindy (8 Jan 2017)

The boldness of the pencil fish probably encourages them to try stuff. It is great not to have to feed live food all the time. Mine have also been wormed.


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## Paulo Soares (11 Sep 2017)

Evening Nelson, 

Each time i look at your tank, i´m transported to my younger days when i spent days after days in the summer camping in a river here in Portugal. 

Each time i look at the last picture it seems i´m being in the exact moment when i dive into the river.. and swim down there.. 
This is really nostalgic what i absorbe from your layout. 

Magnificent! 

Best wishes dear friend.


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## Tim Harrison (11 Sep 2017)

Beautiful looking tank Neil, the fish seem right at home.


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## Nelson (11 Sep 2017)

Thanks Paulo and Tim.
Very much appreciated .
It's changed a little bit now.Will have to update this soon .


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## Paulo Soares (11 Sep 2017)

Good news then 

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## Nelson (13 Sep 2017)




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## Eduard18 (10 Oct 2017)

Beautiful ! Tint rules !


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## Edvet (10 Oct 2017)

Looking good.
If it was my tank i would find a way to darken the sides a bit, block of the light, so the sides are less conspicuous.


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## doylecolmdoyle (7 Nov 2017)

Looking good, I am going to try something similar in my 12g bookshelf tank, thanks for the inspiration !


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