soulessz Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 just a quick question about the almond leaves just wanted to know do these stuff really work and how much should i put into my fish tank for my bettas. and is there any fish that dislike the leaves and also what do these leaves really do. thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Do they work? Yes they do work. I have never manage a spawn without their help. Fish don't like them? IAL softens your water so fishes that don't like them are fishes that prefer harder water such as mollies or african cichlids how much should i put into my fish tank for my bettas? It depends on your tank size and what kind of betta. For my betta splendens I put one left for 10ishL tank. For my wilds I put 5 leaves for a 20L tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 I basically agree with everything Joan has stated . My males build a lot more bubblenests in tanks with IAL than without. Basically any fish that comes from a hard water environment will not appreciate IALs, as they will soften your water somewhat and lower the pH by a couple degrees. Essentially IALs soften your water, release tannins that mimic a blackwater environment (which is where bettas originally came from), and provide your fish with somewhere to hide (if used as a litter). I use 1 small leaf per 10-20 litres for my splendens and then just chuck in a handful for my wilds and let them gradually break down. I remove the ones from my splenden tanks after about two weeks or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 It's funny, i ran our of IAL a month ago, and - maybe co-incidentally, but my breeding stock have really dwindled and I've had a spate of dropsy and rot emerging. I also have a nice CT pair I've been wanting to spawn, but they were just swimming around casually - no nest. I was at Exotic Aquatic yesterday to meet someone and picked up a packet - as a reflex I just tore a few up and threw them into the barracks, sorority, and spawn tanks. There's now 2 very frisky CT betta BOTH building a bubble mansion - now they're in the mood! (Let's hope it inspires Sanchez to do the same) I'm hoping it'll help with my fry tanks too, it boosts their immune system. Do a search on this forum - there's some research that I posted about in the past on studies of antibacterial qualities of IAL. They work. (: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulessz Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 getting so much positive feed backs should mean these leaves really work huh. so basically 10-20liters per leaves is what you guys are doinbg? apparently the leaves builds up a layer of something on the fishes scales or something which makes them healthier is that true, thats what i heard anyways. is it true that there are also different varieties of IAL??? sorry about flooding you guys with questions thanks and thanks again buys and girls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Questions are good. There would probably be a few varieties of Almond leaf, this I don't know about - I make up a "tea" which Bettarazzi explained to me - crush 2-3 leaves up in a mug and microwave for 60 seconds - stir, repeat - etc etc When you have a really dark tea you can put just a small amount into water change buckets - not sure if you can overdose (?) but I certainly let my spawn tanks get nice and dark (the kids love it) It helps with their slime coat which is a protective layer of - well - slime. Sounds gross. Isn't. (: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) There is an iPhone app you can download. You enter how many liters your tank is and it calculates the dosage. Also tell you how to use the leaves to make an IAL tea etc. I first hesitated to download it, thinking it was a bit gimmicky, but now find it an invaluable resource. Edited February 4, 2012 by shadoh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I can't believe there's an app for IAL dosage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) If there is a need for it, there is an app for it. (why it decided to put my sentence in twice i have no clue) Edited February 4, 2012 by Nicola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 fish people are nuts. programmers are nuts. sometimes they're both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 fish people are nuts. programmers are nuts. sometimes they're both. There are nutty fish programmers? Could you send one my way? I have 9 pairs that need to be reprogrammed to breed!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishball7 Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 I don't think ial softens water. They can decrease ph though if used in high enough dosage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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