Are catappa leaves good for all fish?

[RachelT]

In our tank we have 2 Sunset Honey Gourami's, 2 Green Neon Tertra's, a shrimp and a snail. Also in our 8.5 gallon tank we have a few different plants and a piece of driftwood.  We also change the water in the tank (~30% change) each week.

Our tank water test is showing that the water is slightly hard, wondering if catappa leaves would help with the hardness and be gentle on our fish.

Thanks!

[Daniel]

I don't know about catappa leaves specifically, but I gather leaves from the yard and put them in many of my aquarium.

• Shrimp nibble on them
• fry and small hide underneath them
• they release organic acids as they decay which surely must help the beneficial bacteria
• and most importantly, they look cool

Here is a previous thread devoted to leaves:

 

[shkote]

I use Catappa leaves in a few of my tanks along with alder cones. I like the tannins, shrimp love to strip them bare, my Apistos and Rams like to hide in them. My water is far too hard for it to make much of a noticeable difference in GH, but I don't think it will cause any harm. I have read that they also have anti-fungal properties. It's worth a try! 🙂

[Cory]

I'd say on the surface. Catappa leaves would be good for all fish for their anti biotic/fungal properties and fry food. However in crazy amounts without water changes they could affect the ph, which wouldn't be good for all fish.