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Mata Color


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Posted by turtle1 on May 12, 2003 at 09:41:13:

In Reply to: Color posted by Maxx MacLeod on April 25, 2003 at 09:31:44:

Sunlight is definitely an issue, but I think biggest factor in color change is water composition. The native river oxbows, pools, and shallows of Matas contain huge amounts of organic matter, tannic acid, acidic pH etc., especially seasonally with flood cycles. By contrast, most captive water is crystal clear and neutral.
I've tried peat in the filter and floating in bags, but it doens't help too much. Same thing with logs in the water. What has helped is floating one or two "family size" tea bags (I use decaf) in the tank after every water change for a day or two. The water is always the color of iced tea and that coloration is taken on by the Matas. Hope this helps.


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