What is the best way to use Indian almond leaves in my fish tank?

1. Put the entire Indian almond leaf in your tank

After rinsing them in hot running water, you can chuck the entire Indian almond leaf in your tank.

Let them float and fall naturally in your aquariums for a more natural look, or place the already sinking leaf where you want it.

If it floats and you don’t want to boil them, stick it under a rock or piece of driftwood.

2. Shred the catappa leaves before adding them to your aquarium

The second option is to shred the catappa leaves first. Many aquarists prefer this method as they will release tannins faster, it’ll look more natural in your aquarium, and it makes your aquarium look bigger (if you have a small tank).

If any of the above is what you’re trying to achieve, feel free to shred the ketapang leave to the size you want it.

3. Make an Indian almond leaf extract

If you decide to boil the Indian almond leaf, don’t throw away the brown water! It’s filled with beneficial tannins that you can use for your tank.

I will create a separate post on creating a blackwater extract, but the gist of this idea is to boil a bunch of ketapang leaves until the water turns a deep brown/black colour.

You may use the cooled-down leaves in your aquarium or dump them away, but keep the extract you’ve made.

With this extract, add them to your aquariums and during water changes. As you don’t know how much to add, you’ll need to test how much blackwater extract is needed to achieve the results you want – tannin-wise and pH level-wise.

Once you find this, make sure to use the same amount of Indian almond leaves every time you make this extract.