'Blackwater' Botanicals Variety Pack
About This Pack:
The Blackwater Variety Pack is designed to recreate the visual, ecological, and chemical composition of tropical blackwater habitats from around the globe. This curated blend of botanicals releases warm amber to deep brown hues into the water while fostering natural processes like detritus formation, microbial growth, and biofilm development. From a chemistry standpoint, the Macaranga Leaves, Alder Cones, and Coconut Husk will drastically lower the pH of soft water.
Essential Details
- Tannin Level: High
- Tint Color: Deep amber to dark brown
- Durability: Mixed – includes both durable structural materials and fast-decomposing botanicals
- Habitat Location: Inspired by equatorial blackwater systems of South America and Southeast Asia
- Optimal For: Betta species, Apistogramma, tetras, rasboras, pencilfish, and some shrimp
- Use with Caution: Avoid with hard-water species and crustaceans
- Size Range: Small leaves to large leaves and bark pieces; assorted for layered visual and functional substrate complexity
- Quantities: 10 Macaranga Leaves, 10 Terentang Leaves, 1 Cup of Willow Live Oak, 1 Cup of Coconut Husk Chunks, 2 Excelsa Palm Fronds, 1 Cacao Pod, 4 Cariniana Savu Pods, and 1 handful of Alder Cones.
Blackwater Variety Pack for Aquariums & Vivariums
This variety pack helps aquarists achieve the tannin-stained and low pH waters of blackwater ecosystems while encouraging biological function beneath the surface. As the botanicals release tannins, humic substances, and other natural compounds, they condition the water and cultivate a healthy microbial biome. The coconut husks contribute mild pH buffering due to their high cation exchange capacity—similar to peat—while also offering stable surfaces for biofilm formation.
The inclusion of Alder Cones and Macaranga Leaves—botanicals high in tannic acid—helps to reduce the pH of soft water. The pods create caves which allow for spawning, refuge, and territory building with your blackwater fishes of the US Southeast, Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. When used all together, these botanicals help lower the pH, creating a rich leaf litter layer that sustains a blackwater microcosm and promotes natural fish behavior, coloration, and long-term ecosystem stability.
Beneath the Leaves: Blackwater in the Wild
In nature, blackwater forms as leaf litter and woody debris decompose in oxygen-poor environments where the source water percolates through rocks containing minimal buffers and minerals. Blackwater Ecosystems are as much a product of geology as they are of their water color. Tannins and humic acids released from decaying plant matter stain the water the color of strong tea while lowering its conductivity and buffering capacity. These waters, found across the Amazon and Southeast Asia, are home to an array of specialized species—from Betta and Apistogramma to pencilfish and dwarf cichlids—that have evolved to thrive in low-nutrient, detritus-rich conditions. The Blackwater Variety Pack helps you recreate these ecosystems, allowing aquarists to recreate the chemistry and rhythms of nature’s most mysterious waters.
Sustainability Note:
This product’s packaging is home compostable. Just like the botanicals inside, it will break down naturally and return to the soil, because what supports your ecosystem should minimally impact our planet.
Not for human consumption. Preparation required.
This is a natural product—variation in color, shape, and texture is expected.
Home is getting more natural
While the aesthetic appeal of botanicals and tinted water can be quite attractive to us, the recreation of nature to emulate water conditions, feeding patterns, spawning displays, and territory building are the true benefits botanicals provide to our critters.
Botanical FAQs
Compostable Packaging Promise
Our packaging is designed to return safely to the Earth, just like the botanicals inside. Every bag is BPA- and Phthalate-free, GMO-free, and contains no animal products. Each meets ASTM D6400 composting standards, ensuring it can fully break down in a home compost bin.
What are the Fluffy White Growths on my Botanicals?
That’s biofilm and fungi—what we call the “goo phase.” It’s one of the clearest signs that your aquarium is alive and functioning. These growths wax and wane naturally as botanicals decompose. They’re harmless, even beneficial, and will disappear on their own once microbial populations stabilize.
Will botanicals lower the pH of my water?
That depends entirely on your source water. In very soft or RODI water, botanicals can gradually lower pH as tannins and humic substances accumulate. In medium to hard tap water, buffering capacity often resists these shifts, and you may not notice much change. At Betta Botanicals HQ, our very hard water (350+ ppm) shows almost no pH change unless we use botanicals like Alder Cones or Macaranga Leaves.
When should I replace leaves or pods in my tank?
We recommend allowing botanicals to fully break down into detritus, since this fuels microbial life and enriches the substrate. You can remove them once they stop tinting the water, but you’ll lose some of their ecological benefits. Each time you add new botanicals, follow proper preparation and observe your livestock until you learn your aquarium’s rhythm.
Are your products just for bettas?
Nope. Our botanicals are safe for almost all aquariums, terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums. The only exceptions are goldfish and axolotls, which may ingest small pods like alder cones or casuarina cones. For those species, we recommend large leaves such as Indian Almond, Loquat, or Jackfruit.
What are Tannins?
Tannins are natural compounds released by leaves, seed pods, and bark as they decompose in water. They soften water, gently lower pH, and create the characteristic tea-stained tint found in blackwater habitats. But their role goes far beyond color—tannins fuel beneficial bacteria, fungi, and biofilms, which form the foundation of a healthy ecosystem. They also offer mild antifungal benefits and help reduce stress in fish by replicating the natural conditions they’ve evolved in. At their core, tannins are plant-derived antioxidants that connect your aquarium to the same processes at work in wild flooded forests and streams.