Help w Blackwater Setup

[AmyG]

Hello.
I'm new here, and new to planted tanks and blackwater biotopes; however, not new to keeping fish. I have an artificially decorated (real stone and driftwood w silk plants) soft acidic 36gal bowfront tank right now w a single angelfish along w a bristlenose, sterbai cories, kuhliis, and neon tetras. I recently purchased a 120gal Seapora setup but need to decorate it and get it running. My plan is to create a much more accurate blackwater biotope for my fish but I've never had luck w this before. I have no idea what types of wood are best (the internet hasn't been helpful w narrowing down the massive list of what's available), if sand is truly necessary (I do plan on purchasing a couple south american dwarf cichlids and hear they prefer to sift the sand for their food), and where to even start w the plant selection/arrangement/physical planting and attaching. :/
I have the tank, stand, an FX4, Fluval 3.0 LED, 2x 200W Fluval heaters, Fluval Stratum (2x 8kg to start), and some gravel. Nothing's been put together yet.

My actual/direct questions are as follows:
1. Who's got some blackwater tanks they want to share photos of?
2. Please explain the wood connundrum to me. Which is best, and why?
3. Can I keep SA Dwarf Cichlids without sand?
4. Plant recommendations?
5. Anyone want to come help me set this up? I'll pay you! :/

[tanksalot360]

Hi Amy, welcome to the forum. I've been working with aquarium botanicals and the blackwater habitat for a while and can try and help a bit. There's not really a wrong way of building the tank up.

1. I've just restarted my fishroom, but I've set up a few tanks using elements of the blackwater tank - driftwood, aquasoil, coconut huts. It won't be long before the addition of leaf litter and pods will really change the colour of the water. I'll share photos eventually.
2. Choosing driftwood really comes down to what's in stock, what's safe to use and what is the desired outcome/appearance (tannins, branchy look, stumpy look, epiphyte planting etc.) - I would say go to the store and map out your aquarium bottom using the tiles on the store's floor and arrange driftwood into a nice hardscape and take a photo. Confirm with staff and online that the wood is intended for aquarium (opposed to bird / terrarium use). If safe - take the wood home and prepare (soak/sink/clean) the wood which can take a couple weeks including the fungus that may grow once submerged. Some woods will release darker tannins for longer (Mopani/Malaysian) compared to lighter woods (Spiderwood). Eucalyptus wood is probably the largest type that I've seen around here.
Second to driftwood-  I'd say dried leaves and seed pods, ect, really help enhance a blackwater tank and serve to replenish tannins once your driftwood stops releasing tannins, as well as provide some other benefits. You should have a variety of leaves and pods to compliment the scale/size of tank and add them every 2-4 weeks. I have large amounts of both leaves and pods available if needed.
3. Yes you can keep SA dwarf cichlids without sand in general. Certain "earth eater" cichlids aren't normally considered "dwarf" but I would consider sand essential to their feeding and breeding behaviours. But, Apistos and rams are perfectly happy with aquarium gravel and aquasoil substrates and do most of their breeding in caves, on rocks or on leaves (not in sand pits). Stratum and other aquasoils do release some ammonia for a few weeks once submerged and should be allowed to cycle without fish for a couple of weeks before adding fish.
4. Tannins in the aquarium will reduce light intensity and can limit you to low light plants - but there are lots of options - Anubias spp., Java Ferns, Java and other moss, Bolbitis fern, a lily may do well at the surface, floating plants, hornwort, water sprite, etc. Superglue and fishing line can help secure epiphyte plants, where as strategically placing the stratum where rooted plants will go will help them off to a good start.
5. I may have some time to help, or at least make some further recommendations over zoom, etc.

With Ottawa's soft water and the acidifying nature of driftwood, aquasoil, leaves, etc - you do want to watch you water hardness and pH level. If your water hardness dips too low, your pH can fluctuate greatly. Some people can get away with more frequent water changes to avoid this problem, others need to dose a mineralizer into the aquarium to maintain buffering capacity over time. Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to ask additional questions