Overview
- Establishes similar water conditions to those found
in blackwater rivers, many of whichare home to important aquarium fishes
and plants.
- May be used to help simulate the onset of the rainy season for encouragement of fish spawning.
- Provides humic substances (humic and fulvic acid),
complex bio-organic moleculesknown to increase the availability of
important nutrients (such as iron, calcium, magnesium, molybdenum,
copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt, and nickel) to plants, potentially
enhancing the effectiveness of plant nutrient solutions in aquaria.
- Formulated utilizing extensive research on aquatic plant nutrient requirements and riverine water chemistry.
Technical Background
Humic substances are natural derivatives of organic
materials found in soils and, more importantly (for aquarium hobbyists),
in many forested streams and rivers. They are collectively comprised of
humic and fulvic acids, which are the product of the natural
decomposition of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and lignins of plant
and/or animal origin. A characteristic of humic substances is their deep
brown color, which is responsible for the color of soil.
Soluble humic substances increase the bioavailability of
multivalent cations (many of which are important nutrients for plants)
to plants considerably by forming temporary bonds with these ions and
making their uptake by plants more direct; this increases the
effectiveness that water care products containing these ions will have
in planted aquaria.
Blackwater rivers are so-called because of the coloration
of the water, which ranges from light- to dark-brown (as a result of the
presence of humic substances), but is transparent. There are many
important blackwater rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco River drainages,
as well as throughout forested regions of Southeast Asia, all origins of
many families of important aquarium fishes. Blackwater biotope aquaria
are therefore desirable when attempting to maintain these fishes.
Gradually increasing the concentration of humic substances
in aquaria is an effective method of encouraging spawning in fishes,
particularly for Discus, Cardinal Tetras, and other inhabitants of such
blackwater rivers as Brazil’s Rio Negro. In general, the concentration
of humic substances increases substantially during periods of excessive
precipitation and/or flooding (e.g. “rainy season”), which is also when
fishes in many river systems spawn. The addition of Brightwell Aquatics
BlackWater to an aquarium will slightly acidify the water, and will
discolor it in direct correlation with the dosage used, the volume of
the water in the entire aquarium system, and the method(s) of chemical
filtration employed; in general, the greater the dosage employed, the
more pronounced the change in water coloration will be. BlackWater will
also soften water as a result of the natural chelating action of humic
substances. These are all important environmental and/or chemical cues
utilized by fishes for the onset of spawning.
Instructions and Guidelines
Chemical filtration media that aggressively absorb
organic material (such as macroporous resins) will quickly extract humic
substances from aquarium water, which is useful when trying to
eliminate these substances but is otherwise to be avoided when dosing
this product. Activated carbon has limited effectiveness for this
purpose.
Basic: Add 5 ml (1 capful) of BlackWater
per 20 US-gallons (75.7 L) of aquarium water once each week; when used
in this fashion, 250 ml treats up to 1,000 US-gallons (3,785 L). If
desired, dosage may be increased to obtain specific degrees of water
coloration and/or increased bioavailability of certain nutrients to
plants (see opposite panel); see comments regarding spawning below. In
general, daily, rather than weekly, dosing is recommended; daily dosing
maintains a more stable and natural environment than dosing weekly, in
which nutrient concentrations spike just after dosing and then gradually
decrease throughout the course of the week. To dose daily, add 6 drops
per 20 US-gallons per day; adjust dosing volume after 3 - 5 weeks in
accordance with appearance of plants and fishes, and perceived need for
nutrients.
As a Spawning Aid: Consult reference
materials for the specific spawning requirements of fishes in your
aquaria and use this product and the following instructions to your best
advantage: over a period of 6 days, increase basic daily dosage to 6
drops per 10 US-gallons (37.9 L) by increasing the number of drops
administered by one drop each day (resulting in 6 drops per 10
US-gallons per day on the 6th day). Maintain this dosage (or increase it
if desired) until fishes have concluded spawning and eggs have hatched,
at which point dosage may be gradually decreased back to basic dosage.
Adding BlackWater directly to water being used in water changes,
particularly when made on a daily basis, may have the most positive
impact; when using this method, add the appropriate amount of BlackWater
for the entire system volume for that day. An increase in water
temperature and the amount of live foods fed, in conjunction with
following the above dosing instructions, will often encourage fishes to
spawn. Be aware that an increase in feedings will generate increased
waste and the need to remove it from the aquarium via more frequent
water changes.
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