Indian almond leaves for 10g betta tank

[Gideyon]

I wanted to put an IAL in my betta tank for its beneficial properties.  I got rid of my carbon cartridge in my filter because I learned that can filter out the tannins.  I put a small peice of a leaf in the tank after rinsing it in hot water and drying. 

I put a small piece because I was concerned of a possible significant  pH drop.  

My question is for a 10g tank, how much of a leaf would  release enough tannins that I can at least tell that it's present, but not turn my water into iced tea and also cause a pH crash?   Currently, my water looks very clear.  

How long do you have to wait to know if the tannins are releasing? 

Though I got rid of my carbon filter, I replaced it with a coarse sponge and a polypad (from aquarium co-op).  Does the polypad filter the tannins? 

[Will Billy]

For a 10g tank to have a few tannins like you are wanting i would start with 3. Indian almond leaves do impart tannins but at a much lower and more stable rate than driftwood. That is part of the popularity to them because it is much easier to control. Polly pads do remove tannins, albeit in my experience it is the weakest of the 3 tannin removal methods with activated carbon, and purigen removing the most in that order.

in my experience, as I am big about my tannins, i have found that overtime through water changes and filtration it is more difficult for me to keep my tannins than it is to remove it. There comes a point where drift wood and indian almond leaves stop secreting tannins, but water changes never go away lol. Knowing that, i usually try to overshoot my tannins just a bit so long as PH changes are not that critical, and ride the tannin wave till it stops. 

[Gideyon]

That's helpful.  For now I'll just put the rest of the leaf in there.  Add more gradually.  I guess if he gets sick, I can just remove the polypad and increase the leaves. 

[Chrisdis]

Have any of you tried these. I have IAL in my shrimp tank but I use the liquid for the betta. It doesnt really change the water color as much as the leaves. 

[Will Billy]

Great idea @Chrisdis, I will be looking into the extract myself too. It seems easier and cheaper than replacing cholla wood and almond leaves to keep my tannins up. Thank you for that post. 

[Celly Rasbora]

I have a yard full of oak seedlings, thanks to the squirrels. I collect the small leaves as they turn brown, wash, then boil them. Because it's my yard, I know they don't have poisons on them.

I use the "tea" it makes, and then I save the leaves to use them as leaf litter, as my Rasboras live in those types of waters. I also buy the almond leaves from Aquarium Co-Op. It's probably time for an order.

[Eric R]

You shouldn't have to worry about a ph drop unless you have water with very low kh/gh. What's your ph/kh/gh?

Also, fwiw, Scott Feldman at Tannin Aquatics said that even using RO water, he's had a tough time getting his ph lower than 6, and seems to suggest that tank ph crashes from tannins are very unlikely to happen. Still, it's not good for fish to have ph/kh/gh swings, though I think that kh/gh swings are possibly actually worse than ph swings (people that run co2 systems usually have swings a full ph unit over a 24-hour period). Scott's website, tannin aquatics, also sells some high quality tannin-related products, if you're interested in it. Personally, I just collect maple and oak leaves and tree limbs from my yard.

Edited March 10, 2021 by ererer

[Gideyon]

@ererer, I don't have a way to measure kh and gh.

pH is somewhere approximately 7.4

[Gideyon]

@Will Billy Do you keep your IAL in the tank until it completely decomposes or do you remove it at some point?

My tank has finally become tea colored.  First leaf started decomposing I assume, based on the appearance of mulm on it.  I kept it in the tank, and added the second leaf.  Within days, I finally started noticing the color change.

Now when I look at the first leaf, its surface is looking different.  Almost powdery in texture.  I imagine it's a stage of decomposition, but what I'm not sure of is if I should leave it in there or not.   Does it affect water chemistry?