Freshwater Aquarium

One of the secrets to raising strong and healthy is bathing your fish in tea made from Indian Almond leaves.

The leaves also known as Ketapang or wild almond leaves in some places, comes from a tree known to produce a chemical that defends itself against insects and parasites. When the dried leaves falls into water, a strong brown dye is given off. The dye contains organic acids humic and tannins. The water which is darken to a yellowish brown (tea-like color) after a few days, is very similar to your Betta fishes‘ natural habitat and they will love you for it.

Humic and tannins from the Indian almond leaves lowers the pH of the water, absorbs harmful chemicals and help create a soothing and calm environment for the fish. I use the leaves to help settle my Betta fishes when I first bring them home from the aquarium, which can be quite a traumatic journey for the fishes. Even Bettas can get ’sea sick‘ sometimes … you will know it when their body turn pale and rest on the tank floor all the time.

The leaves can also be used to treat bacteria infection and help the Bettas recover from injuries. Some people have used it to increase breeding frequency. The first time I discovered the healing qualities of the leaves was when one of my Betta won’t eat for a few days after I brought it home. Then a friend recommended I put a square inch of the leaves into the tank and let it soak overnight. The next day, my Betta was sucking the blood worms like there is no tomorrow!

To use the Indian almond leaves, I would recommend one palm size leaf to 10 gallons of water. Soak the leaf overnight in the water and you will see the water turning brownish the next day. If you are helping your Betta fish recover from sickness, then cut one small piece of the leaf and leave it in the tank for a week.

In most places these leaves are not available freely. I do have a few trees growing outside my house. So if you desperately need them, email me at admin@tothefish.com and if I am not too busy, I can send them to you, just pay for the shipping cost.

For more information on keeping Betta fishes, please visit Betta Fish

Share This

Betta fish or Betta Splendens or Siamese fighting fish are native to the lands of Thailand, Vietnam, China, and other related regions. They were first spotted in Cambodia, Thailand. In fact, Cambodia use to be known as Siam, hence the name Siamese fighting fish. They are called fighting fish, because they are extremely territorial. Males cannot be kept together because all they will do is fight until one or both are seriously injured. Betta fish can grow to three inches are famous for their long flowing fins.

You can pick out a betta fish right away in a tank because they look like something completely different from other fish. A betta fish is usually in shades of blues, reds, purples, or sometimes-even white. The way to spot a male is because males are more vibrant in color and their fins are longer. Females also have some vertical stripes when healthy. If you think that you may be looking at a female betta fish in the pet store, but don’t see the stripes, you may want to think again about purchasing one since it’s probably sickly. Betta fish prefer to eat live foods, but flakes or frozen foods will be just as fine.

Why are betta fish so popular as pets? Well the first thing that will attract an aquarium lover to betta fish is the way they look. They have rich colors and dramatic fins. Their size isn’t bad either since they are considerably small. Bettas also have a distinct personaility. They wag their tails like a pup and act just as cute. Remember, they have a mind of their own as well. To see a betta’s true personality it has to be happy.

When betta fish are happy and healthy you will notice that they are playful and they move with such grace. Unhappy and unhealthy betta fish will move extremely slow and in a very depressing way. Since there are many betta fish that are breeded specially to get certain colors that aren’t the traditional colors, you will find that you will soon be collecting these beauties. The only thing is that you have to give them enough tank space and also surface space. Surface space is important because betta fish cannot breath while in the water, but they breath directly from the surface.

When it comes to betta fish, you will need to know that there are only a few things to keep in mind. First, you need to keep in mind the temperature. You need to keep the tank between 75f-85F. The ammonia levels are sometime to worry about. Often new tanks will make the tank build up high levels of ammonia, which will kill, or make the fish sick. This is easily taken care of if you just make sure that the tank is washed properly and the water is changed on a regular basis. If the water is good, then your betta fish will surely live their full lifespan of two or three years. They could even live-longer with proper care.

About the author:

Magne Bjorklund: http://www.betta-fish.org/

Please also visit: http://www.all-bird-cages.org/
http://www.america-cruise-line-norwegian-pride.info/

Share This

The key to having a successful betta fish aquarium is that you need to learn how to control the atmosphere for the fish. First, you need to realize that betta fish or Siamese fighting fish come from Cambodia, Thailand, formerly known as Siam. The area is considered tropical for the fish. In fact, in nature you can usually find the betta fish hanging around in a rice paddy field.

You should never keep a betta fish in a small tank. Smaller tanks are harder to control. When it comes to betta fish, you need to keep in mind of the temperature, hardness, and ammonia levels. As for the temperature it should be somewhere between 75-85*F. The pH levels should stay between 6.8-7.4 and the hardness can go up to 20 dGH.

The water is extremely important to all types of fish, but betta fish can be sensitive. You should check on the water every day and the tank should be cleaned every couple of days. Betta fish are very sensitive to the ammonia levels also. You get ammonia build up especially from new tanks. If you clean your new tank with harsh cleaners, make sure that you rinse the tank out several times, because even a trace of the cleaner will harm your betta.

When it comes to the tank size, you should never go with anything less than three gallons. You will need a bigger tank for the more fish that you add. However, you should watch what kind of fish that you add to a betta tank. Betta fish are known as being semi-aggressive and should be put into a tank with the appropriate fish.

You should also know that a betta tank should never have more than one male. By adding more than one male, you are just asking for a fight. Males are very territorial, but sometimes even the females can become aggressive if bothered. If you have more than one male, make sure that the two are separated with a barrier. When mixing your fish, you should not have fin-nipping fish. They will go after the betta’s long-flowing fins. Also, you will need to make sure that certain community fish are not placed in the tank, because the tank may become disrupted.

About the author:

Magne Bjorklund: http://www.betta-fish.org/

Please also visit: http://www.child-bedding.biz/
http://www.gatlinburg-cabin-rentals-info.org/

Share This