Product Description: The 'Blackwater' Botanicals Variety Pack releases an amazing rich dark brown/red hue to the water, and gives the look and color of a blackwater environment suitable for many species of blackwater-loving fish like bettas, tetras, and Apistogramma. The coconut husks in this pack can mildly lower the pH and mineral content in your aquarium, as it has a high cation exchange capacity, just like peat! We add shredded catappa bark, which is full of tannins and adds diversity to the substrate bed. We also throw in a generous handful of bamboo leaves, as their white color really pops in the dark water produced by this botanical pack. We add a couple of other bits and pieces and mix them into our compostable packaging and in the end, it provides you with a great botanical variety pack that really tints your water.

Learn: In our botanical aquarium hobby, the term 'Blackwater' gets thrown at any aquarium with tinted water. It’s used as a characteristic of aquariums with darkly tinted water, and an abundance of botanicals, but it anesthesia the water is low in pH. However the formation of 'blackwater' has a chemical and geological definition to it that can't be replicated entirely in the home aquarium, and the term 'Blackwater Inspired' might be a better defining term for dark water in our aquariums. 

This bag and its contents are biodegradable! Did you know our product packaging is made from renewable and sustainable sugarcane? So just like the botanicals inside, it will compost when returned to nature.

Not for Human Consumption. Preparation Required. 

Quantities: 1 cup Coconut Coir, a small handful of oak twig pieces, a small handful of alder cones, 2 large handfuls of bamboo leaves, a couple of pieces of catappa bark bark chunks, 5 loquat leaves. Sizes range. This is a natural product; variation between leaves and botanicals is expected.

Aquarium Botanical Location: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and North America

Aquarium Botanical FAQs 

1. Please reference our Shipping and Hassle-Free Return Policy at the bottom of the screen. All Products are packaged inside sustainably sourced and renewable sugar cane fibers allowing them to be fully biodegradable and compostable. Yes, you can bury these bags in your backyard to enrich your soils. 
2. Please refer to our botanical preparation instructions. These Botanicals are grown and harvested in pesticide-free environments and it is recommended to use 2-3 botanical pieces per 5 gallons to start, wait 5-7 days, or for the next water exchange to then add more.
3. Our aquarium and vivarium botanicals, leaves, and seed pods are not for human consumption, ever.
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Commonly Asked Questions:

 

1) Will Botanicals Lower The pH Of My Water?

It entirely depends on your water's chemistry. Soft water will allow the botanicals to lower your pH more than if you have medium or hard water. At Betta Botanicals HQ our tap water is Very Hard, ( 350+ppm) and we do not notice a change in water pH unless using Alder Cones or Macaranga Leaves.

2) What Are The Fluffy White Growth On My Botanicals?

White growths are the colonization of biofilms and fungi. We call this the 'goo phase' and it is totally natural. Botanicals are fuel for the ecosystem and the populations of bacteria and fungi will naturally rise and fall. 

3) I Don't Keep Bettas. Will These Botanicals Be Okay For My Critters?

100% yes. Our botanicals are for aquariums, terrariums, vivariums, and all natural enclosures wishing to recreate a more natural environment.

4) I Have Goldfish and Axolotls, What Botanicals Should I Avoid?

We DO NOT recommend using botanicals that these fish can ingest. Botanicals like casuarina cones, small alder cones, and live oak are not suited for these animals. Large aquarium leaves like Indian almond, loquat, and jackfruit leaf litter are preferred. 

5) When Should I Replace My Aquarium Leaves?

We recommend letting aquarium leaves and seed pods entirely break down into beneficial detritus. You can absolutely remove them after they don’t release tannins anymore, you just won't get all potential benefits of leaving them in the ecosystem.