leaves!

I have been thinking for a long time about adding a bit of leaf litter to my aquariums- in particular I wanted to get indian almond leaf, or catappa, for my betta tank. It's said to have antibacterial properties that help keep the fish healthy, as well as lowering pH which is more like the waters they naturally come from. I found a company that sources leaves, seed pods, driftwood and other natural materials from around the world specifically for use in natural style aquiarums: Tannin Aquatics. They very kindly sent me a sample package. Reading on their site I found out about more kinds of leaves that are good for fish health, or grow microscopic biofilm that feeds shrimp and cories. Also learned that tetras like the tannins and softer water the leaf litter creates, too.

My package included three jackfruit leaves, one loquat leaf, four guava leaves and seven catappa.

As per recommendations on the site I started prep by gently boiling some of the leaves- loquat for twenty minutes, guava and jackfruit for 10-15 (added in stages).

Then put them to soak in freshly dechlorinated water with carbon (for cleansing). The catappa leaves are more fragile- I didn't boil them but just put in the soak. I don't have loose carbon in a bag but I do have some cartridges with activated carbon for a filter I don't use anymore, so I put one of those in the bucket:

I'm starting with a very minimal amount of leaves because I'm not sure how much it will change the pH, and I don't think I want the tank waters stained dark. I'm kind of testing that effect beforehand- as I change out the water from the soaking bucket, I save some in a little jar so I can see each day how the tannins reduce. First changeout the water was quite golden.

I'm also planning now to keep the little oak tree I have growing in a pot- see how long I can keep it going trimmed back to stay small- and each fall collect the leaves for use in aquriums. They're best collected after drop off the tree naturally, because then most of the sugars and proteins are drawn out of the leaf, so it won't cause nasty mold and bacteria in the tank. Also of course without toxins from pesticides and such on the plant, which I can be sure of if it grows in a pot under care.