Using Indian Almond Leaves

[Ryan P]

I received a few days ago my first order of Indian Almond Leaves. I was able to find a pack of 50 for under 6 dollars, listed as A+ grade and are about 6 inches long. I have never used them before. How many can I add to the water to start? I plan on putting them in my 5 gallon tank. The PH is currently 5.0, TDS 2-3. Do they need to be cleaned, or can they add bad bacteria into the water? They are very dried out.

As a side note, I bought the last few paros left at the store which were from the original batch of the possible new filamentosus species. All three are definitely female as they have rounded caudal fin, but same body tone as the others. They also have the same emerald green/turquoise slightly showing in the fins. I plan on adding a male once I get my other tank straigtened out and try to spawn them.

Thanks,
Ryan

[Peter Finke]

I think these leaves are very helpful indeed. The problem ist quality. There are different qualities on the market, those that fight bacteria (this should be the case) and those that produce them. The lighter and drier they are the better. Use them at any rate dry.

I usually put one leave flatly on the backside glass of my small 10-liter-tanks; I should think it would be enough even in a tank double this size. But you must know that slowly the effect of killing bacteria may turn into the contrary when the leave ages. One should replace it at any rate after a quarter of a year at the latest. It slowly decays and will become foul and smeary; then out, at the latest, and a new on in. But they are really helpful if fresh and dry. They must be fixed by a piece of wood used in my manner.

There is no new filamentosus-species but a fish that was first called cf. filamentosus when we did not know anything about its origin. Now we know that it comes from the Kalimantan-region around the town Ampah north of Banjamarsin, south of Murateweh, and the fish are rightly called spec. Ampah. Whether they are a subspecies of filamentosus is quite unclear. The known locations of filamentosus are near to the south, however.

The fish have rather little colours; sometime they appear a bit “black and white”. But nevertheless they look attractive because of relatively big fins especially with the males.

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