Just a thought that the boiling would render the leaf mostly tannin free but would still act as a hiding spot and food for Shrimp/Pleco's etc. The Tannin soup then is more instant,direct and powerful which would be a good immediate tonic for unwell fish
Does boiling the leaves not extract all the tannins and beneficial stuff from them making the leaves not do anything? which means you could use the extract/tea? or am i wrong will it still release tannins and get the benefits from the leaves?.
You’re not trying to boil them for a long period of time. More like a flash boil just to kill any potentially harmful concerns with the leaves or wood such as bugs, pesticides, chemicals. It more so just takes out some risk factors for comfort that you aren’t gonna lose your fish. It doesn’t seem horrible but when you gotta rare fish or lots of fish it adds up quick and can be a devastating loss. Our goal isn’t to make a pretty tank. It’s to keep fish alive IN a pretty tank right? You can still use the tea leftover as well. Again, the boiling just kills and dilutes any possible threats from the botanicals.
@@AquatikGurugotchu thanks for the info i recently added indian almond leaf to my tank from a brand called matchimaa to my betta tank i rinsed it pretty well before adding in know not as good as boiling for getting rid of an dangers. But its been almost 48 hours in the tank it has really even released any tannins idk how long that would take first time using them. Maybe next time ill just boil and ad some of the tea instead
@lif3l3ssgaming sometimes it takes days or weeks for the leaves to break down enough to create the tannins. Tannins are just rotting wood, leaves, and organic matter
You can do anything you want. It’s just not recommended because of “just in case” scenarios. Such as bad bacteria, animal urine, etc. that can contaminate and kill everything in your aquarium.
Hi when you discard the water and replace it to add prime, did I understand correctly that you’re keeping the old water for a tea for the tanks? May I ask why you don’t just keep the water and add more with the prime conditioner? I been trying to find wether or not I add my prime conditioner to the leaf/water before putting it in my fish tank and not many videos explain this part. Thanks!
So the reason you discard the first tea mix is just in case the leaves had any contaminants on them. That way you can’t accidentally add those to the tank (if there are any). That’s why I recommend using the second batch vs the first. Mainly because of the what if factor. Such as what if that particular tree was sprayed with pesticide or something.
@@AquatikGuru ahh that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for explaining that. Btw you’re the only person I found that uses prime conditioner with the almond leaves and I always questioned if boiled water that sat 24hrs really did remove everything that’s harmful to fish. I had googled it countless times and checked fish forums and nobody mentioned adding prime and I always wondered if adding it would affect the almond leaf benefits so I’m glad to have stumbled on your video and see you do use it and have no problems etc. I’ll be doing it the way you do it for that extra precaution. Thanks again! 😊 Also, I have a betta fish in a 5 gallon, what would you say is about the amount of catappa leaf I should put in his tank? That’s another thing I can’t seem to find answers for. I know it lowers ph and don’t want to put too much and have ph drop significantly. Thanks!
Yea, many people just add them to the tank. The person I purchase all my leaves from has had random bad experiences so he recommended to me a few years ago to take those steps to eliminate those chances no matter how small they are. I just hate to lose fish over some leaves haha. As far as with bettas, they actually prefer lower PH I’ve found direct from sources in Thailand. Me personally I add a bunch or handful of leaves. Since you’re new to it tho, I would add one, maybe wait a month and add another and so on.
Yes it does remove some tannins for sure. You can add em if you want. Just know that some people have had crashes happen from something that was most likely on simple leaves. So it’s kinda an at your own risk, better safe than sorry kinda thing. This is mainly just the “safest” way to add botanicals type video.
Boiling not required. Rinse, then put them in a bucket of water for 3 days. Some tannin will leach out and leaves will sink. Then put them straight into the tank
That’s one of the reasons. But Most people fear the company selling it to them may have sprayed it with pesticides, chemicals, etc. so they boil them in hopes to prevent any chances.
No not necessarily if you only boil them for a bit. I boil them for 10 min, drain, add new water and some dechlorinator, then boil again, then I add the leaves to tanks, cool the water and add that to the tanks as well.
You’re welcome. After I pull the leaves out after the second boil (with dechlorinator) I cool the tea, brown water, and I add that to tanks too. I like a little tiny of brown personally. I just add more light lol. It makes my neon tetras glow 10x more easily. And plants look super green
To be 100% honest, I’m not 100% sure. Many leaves are prepped that way essentially. I would ask a channel that picks their own. I’ve personally only done this with oak leaves.
Yes look up the channel “Betta Botanicals” that’s where I get all my botanicals that I can’t find in Minnesota. He should know exactly the answer you’re looking for
No I like to keep decomposing leaves with fresh leaves just like the wild would do. Occasionally I’ll add as small handful as the first handful starts to break down and so on to keep a consistency to it
Question #1 Can you add too many leaves that would cause a water quality problem, Question #2 since I am new to your channel, what is Felix and where do they come from.
Part One - In theory yes, it could shock some fish. But do keep in mind in the wild there are millions of leaves, sticks, seeds, etc that fall in the water 24/7. I personally haven’t noticed any bad effects as the water seems much much healthier with the good stuff the leaves release and the good bacterias that grow on them. Part Two - Felix is an axolotl. They’re a completely aquatic type of salamander found in only one lake in the world called Lake Xochimilco along with the tributaries attached to it just south of Mexico City. In the wild they are critically endangered with approximately only a thousand of them left in the wild. People breed them in aquariums rather than collect them from the wild.
@@AquatikGuru Thanks for an excellent reply, it's cool that you named your axolotl,I don't know what to think of Felix he's kind of scary looking yet beautiful.
@@AquatikGuru I have plants and a half Coconut shell in my 5 gallon Betta tank so I cut an almond leaf into pieces to fill in areas with just substrate, I have seen some people hang a full leaf up against the side of the aquarium. In tanks with Shrimp, the Shrimp will nibble on the leaves. I haven't tried Shrimp yet but I'm considering some easy to care for like Cherry Shrimp.
I had the same thought as I have nano fish that require a lower pH and I'm not wanting to use chemicals and understand the almond leaves will lower pH naturally. Thanks for the informative video
The reason you should prepare them is to eliminate any chance of something infecting the tank. Imagine having an established tank with hundreds maybe thousands of dollars invested and one leaf kills the whole tank. That’s why I always prepare mine ;) JUST IN CASE lol
5-10 min. If you’re going to use the water after, then you drain the first batch. Boil again with water conditioner and you’ll have tannin water to add to aquariums once it cools down from the boiling.
Excellent, thanks... new to leaf stuff in the tanks ❤ much appreciated
You’re welcome glad to assist!
Dude your tanks are scaped beautifully! Lol ima steal some of your scaping ideas cause they're amazing 👏 🤣
🤣🤣 go right ahead haha! Glad I could inspire you!
Enjoying your videos bro!!! Too much learned from you. Thank you.❤
You’re welcome!! So glad I could help!
Just a thought that the boiling would render the leaf mostly tannin free but would still act as a hiding spot and food for Shrimp/Pleco's etc. The Tannin soup then is more instant,direct and powerful which would be a good immediate tonic for unwell fish
Yes exactly!!!
Can you cut them in smaller pieces after cookin?
Absolutely makes it look more realistic in my opinion
Great video How long do you leave them inside? or do you just let them break down over time ? Thanks!
I personally just let them break down. Helps keep the plants going
@@AquatikGuru We'll do that, Thanks Breh!
Does boiling the leaves not extract all the tannins and beneficial stuff from them making the leaves not do anything? which means you could use the extract/tea? or am i wrong will it still release tannins and get the benefits from the leaves?.
You’re not trying to boil them for a long period of time. More like a flash boil just to kill any potentially harmful concerns with the leaves or wood such as bugs, pesticides, chemicals. It more so just takes out some risk factors for comfort that you aren’t gonna lose your fish. It doesn’t seem horrible but when you gotta rare fish or lots of fish it adds up quick and can be a devastating loss. Our goal isn’t to make a pretty tank. It’s to keep fish alive IN a pretty tank right? You can still use the tea leftover as well. Again, the boiling just kills and dilutes any possible threats from the botanicals.
@@AquatikGurugotchu thanks for the info i recently added indian almond leaf to my tank from a brand called matchimaa to my betta tank i rinsed it pretty well before adding in know not as good as boiling for getting rid of an dangers. But its been almost 48 hours in the tank it has really even released any tannins idk how long that would take first time using them. Maybe next time ill just boil and ad some of the tea instead
@lif3l3ssgaming sometimes it takes days or weeks for the leaves to break down enough to create the tannins. Tannins are just rotting wood, leaves, and organic matter
You make great informative and interesting videos!!!! Thanks
Thank you! Glad you enjoy!
Great job. Very helpful
You’re welcome and thank you! Glad to help!
Hey, thanks for this video, do you store the original leaves inside the fridge? or can just leave them stored in a room temperature?
I just leave them at room temperature in the sealed bags.
@@AquatikGurubrother please tell me how to remove fish poop 😢and clean water
How often do you change the leaves ? Or Do you add new ones with every water change ?
I don’t change them, I just add new ones. I allow them to break down naturally
Oh ok thank you 😊
Thank you for this video. I really appreciate it.
Glad I could assist!!!
Do you have to use the leaves as soon as you boil them or could I boil a load and store them?
To my knowledge they’ll just turn to mush. I would just store them dry and boil as needed.
So adding the dechlorinator is the third step and that water is then safe to be used as the tannin 'soup?'
Yes that’s correct.
Can put them in tank without boiling them?
You can do anything you want. It’s just not recommended because of “just in case” scenarios. Such as bad bacteria, animal urine, etc. that can contaminate and kill everything in your aquarium.
Hi when you discard the water and replace it to add prime, did I understand correctly that you’re keeping the old water for a tea for the tanks? May I ask why you don’t just keep the water and add more with the prime conditioner?
I been trying to find wether or not I add my prime conditioner to the leaf/water before putting it in my fish tank and not many videos explain this part.
Thanks!
So the reason you discard the first tea mix is just in case the leaves had any contaminants on them. That way you can’t accidentally add those to the tank (if there are any). That’s why I recommend using the second batch vs the first. Mainly because of the what if factor. Such as what if that particular tree was sprayed with pesticide or something.
@@AquatikGuru ahh that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for explaining that. Btw you’re the only person I found that uses prime conditioner with the almond leaves and I always questioned if boiled water that sat 24hrs really did remove everything that’s harmful to fish. I had googled it countless times and checked fish forums and nobody mentioned adding prime and I always wondered if adding it would affect the almond leaf benefits so I’m glad to have stumbled on your video and see you do use it and have no problems etc. I’ll be doing it the way you do it for that extra precaution. Thanks again! 😊
Also, I have a betta fish in a 5 gallon, what would you say is about the amount of catappa leaf I should put in his tank? That’s another thing I can’t seem to find answers for. I know it lowers ph and don’t want to put too much and have ph drop significantly. Thanks!
Yea, many people just add them to the tank. The person I purchase all my leaves from has had random bad experiences so he recommended to me a few years ago to take those steps to eliminate those chances no matter how small they are. I just hate to lose fish over some leaves haha.
As far as with bettas, they actually prefer lower PH I’ve found direct from sources in Thailand. Me personally I add a bunch or handful of leaves. Since you’re new to it tho, I would add one, maybe wait a month and add another and so on.
Is there anyway to get the benefits of almond leaves without the tannins?
You can add carbon to your filter and it will remove some of the tannins. You can also add filter floss that will help too
Can I use all types of indian almond leaves in my betta tank??
To my knowledge yes. If need be, make sure to check multiple sources tho!
Thank you
Isn't boiling them removing the tannins? My water is too hard so can't I just rinse them and directly add a small piece of leaf?
Yes it does remove some tannins for sure. You can add em if you want. Just know that some people have had crashes happen from something that was most likely on simple leaves. So it’s kinda an at your own risk, better safe than sorry kinda thing. This is mainly just the “safest” way to add botanicals type video.
@@AquatikGuru thanks. I'll boil them. I'd hate to lose my fish.
@@AquatikGurudid you state how long you boil them for?
@beanj580 that’s the biggest reason people do it is just in case. You never know if the leaves were sprayed with anything or what have you. Ya know?
Is it possible they can poison the tank? I added them without doing this and lost my entire tank...so sad
In a way yes because they can change the PH drastically if too many are added
@@AquatikGuru I added three large leaves to my 55 gallon aquarium
Boiling not required. Rinse, then put them in a bucket of water for 3 days. Some tannin will leach out and leaves will sink. Then put them straight into the tank
I think by boiling it we can speed up the tannin loss (maybe?)
That’s one of the reasons. But Most people fear the company selling it to them may have sprayed it with pesticides, chemicals, etc. so they boil them in hopes to prevent any chances.
Hey wouldn't boiling them make them loose their beneficial nutrients and get drained in the water. Should I put the water to the tank as well?
No not necessarily if you only boil them for a bit. I boil them for 10 min, drain, add new water and some dechlorinator, then boil again, then I add the leaves to tanks, cool the water and add that to the tanks as well.
@@AquatikGuru Thanks buddy
You’re welcome
How long do u boil them??? I’m getting a betta and I want to help her thrive
Roughly 10 min then drain and boil a second time. I have a video on it
@@AquatikGuru thank u so much this video and comment really helped
You’re welcome. After I pull the leaves out after the second boil (with dechlorinator) I cool the tea, brown water, and I add that to tanks too. I like a little tiny of brown personally. I just add more light lol. It makes my neon tetras glow 10x more easily. And plants look super green
@@AquatikGuru they look so happy I hope my betta will be happy too
bagus di tempat saya banyak daun itu
I have and almond tree and I've plucked some leaves off the branch and set them to dry, will those work?
To be 100% honest, I’m not 100% sure. Many leaves are prepped that way essentially. I would ask a channel that picks their own. I’ve personally only done this with oak leaves.
@@AquatikGuru oohh thank you for letting me know~! Do you know any channel that would help me with this info?
Yes look up the channel “Betta Botanicals” that’s where I get all my botanicals that I can’t find in Minnesota. He should know exactly the answer you’re looking for
@@AquatikGuru alrighty thank uh~!!!
do i have to wait until the leaves are decomposed completely to add more leaves?
No I like to keep decomposing leaves with fresh leaves just like the wild would do. Occasionally I’ll add as small handful as the first handful starts to break down and so on to keep a consistency to it
Question #1 Can you add too many leaves that would cause a water quality problem, Question #2 since I am new to your channel, what is Felix and where do they come from.
Part One - In theory yes, it could shock some fish. But do keep in mind in the wild there are millions of leaves, sticks, seeds, etc that fall in the water 24/7. I personally haven’t noticed any bad effects as the water seems much much healthier with the good stuff the leaves release and the good bacterias that grow on them.
Part Two - Felix is an axolotl. They’re a completely aquatic type of salamander found in only one lake in the world called Lake Xochimilco along with the tributaries attached to it just south of Mexico City. In the wild they are critically endangered with approximately only a thousand of them left in the wild. People breed them in aquariums rather than collect them from the wild.
@@AquatikGuru Thanks for an excellent reply, it's cool that you named your axolotl,I don't know what to think of Felix he's kind of scary looking yet beautiful.
You’re welcome! Another cool feature they have is if they lose a limb such as a leg or whatnot, it will grow back.
@@AquatikGuru That is very cool, I haven't lost any parts but it would be nice to know I could grow a new one if I needed to.
Doctors have been trying to find out how to use their dna to treat humans for a few years. So we’ll see what happens hahaha!
haw long do you change your almond tree leaves
I leave them forever and let them turn to mush for bacteria’s and such to feed on
How much do I add for 5 gallon tank? I want the tank water to turn brown for my betta fish
Just follow the same steps I took in this video
@@AquatikGuru I have plants and a half Coconut shell in my 5 gallon Betta tank so I cut an almond leaf into pieces to fill in areas with just substrate, I have seen some people hang a full leaf up against the side of the aquarium. In tanks with Shrimp, the Shrimp will nibble on the leaves. I haven't tried Shrimp yet but I'm considering some easy to care for like Cherry Shrimp.
i'm conflicted, i want to use almond leaves because i want a better environment for my neon tetras and betta but really like the clear water look. hmm
Just use less leaves then
@@AquatikGuru true
I had the same thought as I have nano fish that require a lower pH and I'm not wanting to use chemicals and understand the almond leaves will lower pH naturally.
Thanks for the informative video
@@carlalees1776 you’re welcome! Glad I could help!
Helpful to say what leafs you have used.
Indian almond leaves. It’s in the title, description, and the video. There is another video explaining the multiple types of botanicals I have on hand
@@AquatikGuru sorry must have missed that in the video... Thanks
No problem ;)
Great info
Thank you!
What are the rounded fruit like structure
Those would be alder cones I believe
Do the leaves have to be dry?
Yes it’s best that they’re not fresh leaves.
@@AquatikGuru thanks for confirming!
@@Ankit-ri8sv you’re welcome
what is that cone in the water with the leaf??
Alder cones
I've just started up my betta tanks and added almond leaves straight the packet I'm cycling a tank
The reason you should prepare them is to eliminate any chance of something infecting the tank. Imagine having an established tank with hundreds maybe thousands of dollars invested and one leaf kills the whole tank. That’s why I always prepare mine ;) JUST IN CASE lol
How much time do you boil the almond leaves for??
5-10 min. If you’re going to use the water after, then you drain the first batch. Boil again with water conditioner and you’ll have tannin water to add to aquariums once it cools down from the boiling.
@@AquatikGuru thank you 😘
@@ramimohd8070 no problem glad I could help!
good for red cherry shrimp?
Yes definitely.
Is it good for goldfish?
Yes, they may eat it tho, but it’s good for all fish because it replicates the wild
☑️☑️☑️
The Prime is superfluous.
Yes, I’m some cases. In the case of my local water tho, absolutely not superfluous unless you like putting chlorine in your tank
Need Almond leaves?
I could always use more haha! But no, there’s many leaves you can use.
Can I
WOW THANKS FOR SHOWING ME HOW TO RINSE AND BOIL SOMETHING
Thanks for the comment and the sarcasm. You’d be suprised how many people have no idea what they just watched.
@@AquatikGuruI ALSO LIKED THE PART WHERE YOU SHOW US HOW TO PUT LEAVES IN A FISH TANK
😂
69 views nice
It’s mythical lmao!