ketapang and loaches?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Mr Pleco

Mr Pleco

Piranha
MFK Member
Mar 18, 2006
2,657
71
81
West
I did a water change the other day and added a few teaspoons at 1/4 the recommended doseage for my tank of Marc Wiess "Instant Amazon"....

next day, I couldn't believe the results , happier loaches, thier colors seem to pop,behavior that resembles silver dollar spawning.:popcorn:
looking into keeping ketapang leaves in my sump full time..I can live with the tan /yellow tint if the fish are happier..

Does anyone else on this forum use ketapang leaves or extract in their loach tanks? What where your results? recommendations..?
 
Although the addition of tannins is not necessary, it does help give the fish a sense of comfort in its environment. The tannic acids harden their skin a bit thus making them less prone to skin diseases and incidence of bacterial infections is minimized substantially. Depending on your hardness levels, your pH itself may lower but pH is rarely an issue and rarely dives steeply by a large difference unless your hardness levels are unusually very low. Even then, loaches are unique in the aspect that they can tolerate pH as low as 4 which most other fish would not and instead end up suffering acidosis. Ultimately, bear in mind a lot of Asian countries have Indian almond leaves and it is not surprising the leaves contribute to the acidity of the natural waters where the loaches dwell.;)

Don't bother with the extracts. Indian almond leaves tend to be a much better option and they can last you a week or two before they disintegrate. Once you see a sign of leaves disintegerating, replace the leaves immediately or it will collect to the bottom and make your tank look dirtier unless you are not bothered by it.
 
I have that stuff, I've never really noticed any difference, so I quit using it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom