Hey Shrimp Keepers,
It's shrimp Saturday which means another information packed video dedicated to freshwater shrimp breeding in aquariums. Today's topic is Indian Almond Leaves, also known as Catappa Leaves. I'm running a special on the Imdian Almond Leaves this week.
Get three (3) free for every 10 purchased:
www.flipaquati...
Also, check out some of the other specials I'm still running:
www.flipaquati...
I talked briefly in the video about Jeremy's fish room. I wanted to give that link for anyone that's interested:
• Fish Room Tour: A Worl...
So, onto Indian Almond Leaves in the aquarium, mainly in freshwater shrimp tanks. I want to go over some quick points and cover them all in the video: origins of Indian almond leaves, their benefits and uses in the aquarium, how many to use for freshwater shrimp and how long the Indian Almond Leaves last.
First off, Indians Almond Leaves originated in South East Asia. They were originally used by betta breeders to condition them to spawn. They also used them in their hospital tanks to get the fish back to health.
Now, what are Indian Almond Leaves used for. The uses are listed in order of importance in my opinion.
The first most important use for Indian Almond Leaves in the aquarium is for trace minerals and other beneficial compounds. In nature, shrimp originate from slow moving river in forests. It is safe to say that leaves do fall into the the river and will decay over time. These leaves release tons of minerals and compounds into the river. In an aquarium, we use over filtered drinking water. Many trace elements are missing that shrimp need to thrive. By adding Indian Almond Leaves to the aquarium, the shrimp start to receive these necessary mineral and it opens the door to really allow them to thrive.
The second most important use for Indian Almond Leaves is for a natural food source for shrimp. Infusoria (micro-organisms) breakdown the leaf in the aquarium. This process usually takes a month to accomplish. The infusoria are a natural food source for shrimp and shrimplets (baby shrimp). Therefore, Indian Almond Leaves are essential to creating a stable environment for freshwater shrimp to breed.
Indian Almond Leaves are pumped full of anti-fungal properties to prevent die off in nature. These properties and compounds are believe to be released into the water column of an aquarium as the leaf breaks down. With that being said, many hobbyists (like myself) believe that Indian Almond Leaves help fight off bacterial and fungal infections in shrimp.
These three reason above are enough reason to begin using Indian Almond Leaves in your aquarium for freshwater shrimp. The leaves provide trace minerals and compound, a natural food source and provide anti-fungal an anti-bacterial properties to an aquarium. Although, this is not all they do:
Indian Almond leaves will also help to lower the ph of an aquarium. How much they lower ph depends on the level of kh (carbonate hardness) in the aquarium. The higher the kh, the harder it will be to lower the ph meaning it'll take more leaves.
The only downfall to Indian Almond leaves is that they do change the color of the water to a tea color. Hobbyists that like clear water will not like this. Also, some find the leaves sore on the eye and do not prefer to use them for this reason.
The dosage of Indian Almond Leaves for shrimp tanks is simple, one leaf (6 to 8 in) per 20 gallons of water. Add a new leaf as one begins to decay. This will usually occur after 2-4 weeks. For larger tanks with higher loads of shrimp, add more leaves as necessary.
I hope you enjoyed this video on Indian Almond Leaves. If you are interested in buying these leaves, feel free to check out my website:
www.flipaquati...
If you liked this video, check out y other Shrimp Saturday videos:
• Playlist
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5 окт 2024
