FAQ,s

So you have decided to start an aquarium filled with mother natures goodies? but don't know how to start ? Here a few FAQ that will help.

We get it starting a blackwater system can be a exiting but stressful experience. But you have to start somewhere, Don't stress out and feel welcome to contact us. we are more than happy to help you out.

Here are a few frequently asked questions that might help.

How do I use the botanicals I purchased ?

Its quite simple actually as we have included a small business card with directions to our website, follow the instructions and go to the "Preparation section on our website. Just follow the steps in the illustration and build your black water biotope.

The Botanicals I bought are getting slimy and it smells bad!

Nothing to worry about as this is quite normal when adding botanicals, this biofilm usually disappears after a week and shrimp and snails love to eat it! (you could also add some of our Gumnuts or Jarrah Pods they smell quite good)

Where do all your Botanicals come from?

We prize ourselves in sourcing most of our produce from Australian soil, this because we want to experiment with as many Aussie botanicals we can get our hands on. Some of the Botanicals we stock are legally imported like the cholla wood for example.

Are these botanicals dangerous to my fishes and other aquatic friends?

While the introduction of any organic material into your aquarium can affect the water chemistry, these botanicals are not dangerous in and of themselves. Look, if you dump a large quantity of these materials- of ANY botanical materials- into your stable, long-established aquarium, they will most certainly affect the environmental parameters rapidly, which will cause stress for many fishes. Let's face it, however- there are some fishes- including, but not limited to- Discus, wild Angels, Apistos, Geos, and some wild Pelvicachromis that are quite sensitive to any environmental changes, and you need to be careful when adding botanicals into their established systems. In saying that however all our botanicals have been tried and tested on Apistogramma, snail and cherry shrimp. this all without having a negative impact on their health. 

I can find some of the items you sell in my back yard. Why shouldn't I use them?

Keep in mind all botanicals that we sell on Blackwater Aquariums are tested and tried. However...

If you have access to some leaves or pods locally, and they're from a clean, unpolluted area, free of pesticides or industrial chemicals, and you want to add them to your aquarium- we say go for it! Just make sure that you prepare them in a similar manner to what we recommend for our botanicals, and test them with a few fishes first before placing them (slowly...) into your display aquariums! 

What is your return policy 

We have a dedicated tab about our return policy but, If you decide you want to return or exchange an item, you have 30 days from the moment it was delivered to you to contact us. All items must be in their original packaging — unused and undamaged.

Are you affiliated to Apistogramma Australia?

Yes we are, Apistogramma Australia is another project of us and is now merged together into Blackwater Aquariums.