Almond bay leaves

[Nygbrian9]

Hi all,

I have a 3 gallon (long) nano, housing a colony of red cherry shrimp.
I've been feeding them spirulina flakes (which they adore), fluval brand shrimp food (which they don't seem to like as much), and spinach (which they don't even go near).
I'm considering feeding them bay leaves.. But after some research I'm beginning to worry about the leaves tainting the water color/clarity of the tank.
Is there any way to avoid the "amber hue" that is know to come with these leaves? Would soaking then in a separate container till they're water logged work? Or should I avoid these leaves altogether if I enjoy the clarity of the tank now.

Thanks!

 

[Coursair]

I use Indian almond leaves in my tank and I don't really notice a major staining of the water. If there is it's usually gone within two days.


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[Nygbrian9]

That really promising, thank you!
May I ask what size your tank is? I feel like I should be using portions of full leaves, considering I have a 3 gal.

 

[Mebbid]

The almond leaves contain tannins which are what changes the color of the water. If you notice on coursair's tank you can definitely notice a yellow hue to the water. Carbon or purigen will help but I would just skip the leaves. There are plenty of other foods for shrimp.

 

[Coursair]

Mine is a 10g.

I use pieces of leaves in smaller tanks.


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[Nygbrian9]

Sweet.. I'll be doing the same thing. Thanks for including a picture.. Helped calmed my nerves about tainting the water hahah.