Almond Leaves...

[anteatergoanna]

Hi, received the almond leaves I ordered and all I can say is WOW, cop the size of them !!! Can anyone tell me how many of these I would put into my 240 ltr tank ? They are 13 cm wide and 25 cm long....I will soak them for a couple of days, to get most of the tannins out

 

[JessiNoel21]

I would say two but I always put them straight into the tank and never had a problem with the water turning yellow

 

[anteatergoanna]

Thanks for that, I ended up putting 4 in, I googled it, they said 2 per 50ltrs !! It seems an awful lot, 10 leaves it works out too for my tank. Anyways, I will see how it goes. They have been in the tank for a few hours and no leeching of colour at this stage.

 

[JessiNoel21]

All depends on the leaf I have seen

 

[pip walters]

Any leaching occurs as they begin to decompose.... that is the whole point - as they rot, they release tanins and other compounds that have been shown to help reduce health problems.

Many of the fish we import where i work arrive with catappa leaves in the bags.

May I ask why you are using them?

 

[anteatergoanna]

Okay,, thanks pip,
I have read on several threads,/ articles that the leaves are good for the fish (a bit of debate about this, but they are'nt harmful) I figure if its not going to hurt the fish and if there is a remote chance that the leaves are as beneficial as they say, why not use them?. No article has said that you shouldn't use them if you don't have a problem.

 

[venymae]

yes, but the tannins are the helpful part, so you WANT the leaching to happen for the health benefits.

 

[anteatergoanna]

I thought that might of been the case, so i have put them directly into the tank without soaking them, they have been in there a day and have half submerged, I don't mind a "brackish" looking tank, looks more natural.....thanks

 

[pip walters]

I thought that might of been the case, so i have put them directly into the tank without soaking them, they have been in there a day and have half submerged, I don't mind a "brackish" looking tank, looks more natural.....thanks

Brackish? I think you may be confused....that is almost the complete opposite of the conditions the almond leaves are used to create. They are really aimed at fish that prefer 'blackwater' conditions. Be careful as they can lower pH which can cause problems, although they should never me it less than 6.

 

[anteatergoanna]

Thanks Pip, i have been monitoring the ph daily.