Catappa leaves

Description

Catappa leaves are the leaves from the tropical Terminalia catappa tree.
They are also known as Ketapang-, Almond-, Terminalia- or Sea Almond Tree leaves. The seed of the fruit is edible when fully ripe and resembles and tastes like almond.

The Terminalia catappa tree can grow to circa 35 – 40 meters high and is found in the tropical regions of Asia, Australia, Africa and South America. Also the catappa seeds, which are also often used in the aquarium hobby, come from this tree.

We have 2 different leave sizes available of the catappa leaves.
Those leaves are 15 – 20 cm.
The smaller leaves are 10 – 15 cm and are a nice size for small aquariums.

 

What is the effect of the catappa leaves in the aquarium?

Catappa leaves reduce the pH by giving off tannins to the water. They have an anti-bacterial and -fungal effect, reduce stress and prevent diseases in the aquarium.
They will give the aquarium a natural, reddish/brown taint by dissolving the tannins into the water. This will enhance the colors of the fish and shrimps.
This coloring effect on the water is only temporarily. After some days/weeks the color will fade.

Besides that they are used as a natural medicine and water conditioner, catappa leaves can also be used for decoration in the aquarium. They give the aquarium a more natural look and the water a reddish/brown taint.

 

Natural products such as Guava leaves, Mulberry leaves, Alder cones, Lotus pods and Thelambu Pods promote fish health, color brilliance, breeding and stress reduction.
Because they are natural products, they can vary in shape and size. Each piece is unique.

How do I use the leaves?

You can use the leaves in different ways.
The easiest is to put the leaves into the aquarium and don’t do much with them; the tannins will be set free by itself. The more leaves you put in, the darker your water will get.
You can take the leaves out when they start to dissolve but this is not particularly necessary. Shrimps and young fish will even more enjoy it as a plant food to graze on if you let the leaves in.

If you don’t like the look of the loose leaves in the aquarium but you wanna use the tannins of it there are also other options. You can put them into the filter. In that case it is smart to put them in a pantyhose or filter bag for example.

In addition to that, it is also possible to let the leaves for a longer time in a bucket with water. The water will get a dark brownish coloration. This water you can use for the aquarium. If this takes too long for you, you can also cook a big amount of leaves in a pot and let it stand for 1 – 2 days. In this case you create blackwater extract and therefor only need to use a small amount to make the aquariumwater darker.

Available bag sizes:

– 50 leaves
– 100 leaves

 

Pay attention:

If you use active carbon the effect of the catappa leaves can be reduced. Because of that we advice to not use active carbon in combination with the leaves. Also nitrate resin will take away, a part, of the reddish/brown water coloration.

 

Our leaves are dried, so if you store them dry you can hold them for a unlimited time. You can directly use them.

 

 

Delivered per: 1 bag
Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days*