Inglorious Bettas
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Spawning Bettas
    • Let's Talk Bettas!
    • Setting up the Fish Room
    • Indian Almond Leaf (IAL)
    • Fish Photography for Spawn Logs
    • Selective Breeding
    • Spawning Set-ups
    • How Bettas Spawn
    • Fry Foods
    • Grow-out Tanks
    • Jarring
    • Maintenance of Adults
    • Culling
  • Spawn Logs
    • Metallic Crowntail Plakats >
      • CTPK Spawn Journal >
        • CTPK color 031814
        • CTPK form 042014
        • CTPK form 020815
        • CTPK color 020815
        • CTPK color 072115
        • CTPK combo 030116
        • CTPK combo 011017
    • Red/Yellow Traditional Plakats >
      • Genealogical Chart
      • RY Trad PKs Spawn Journal >
        • RY Trad 112512 Thanksgiving
        • RY Trad 040613
        • RY Trad 072013
        • RY Trad/Show 020114
        • RY Trad 031814
        • RY Trad 072115
        • RY Trad 080715
    • Crowntail Doubletails >
      • Genealogical Chart
      • CTDT Spawn Journal >
        • CTDT 051812
        • CTDT 081412
        • CTDT 102012
        • CTDT 011213
        • CTDT 021413 Valentine's Day
        • CTDT 050313
        • CTDT 081313
        • CTDT 021414 - Valentine's Day - Repeat Spawn
    • Black Traditional Plakats >
      • Black Trad Plakat Spawn Journal >
        • Black Trad 042014
        • Black Trad 072414
  • Fish Shows
    • Show Reports
    • How to Send Bettas to a Show
    • What Does it Take to Become an IBC judge?
  • Wilds & Killifish
    • Betta rubra
    • Elassoma species affinis evergladei Elberta, Alabama
    • Heterandria formosa
    • Blue Gularis "Niger Delta" (Aphyosemion sjoestedti)
    • Betta burdigala
    • Blue Gularis "Loe" (Aphyosemion sjoestedti)
    • Betta smaragdina
    • Aphyosemion bitaeniatum Ijebu-Ode
  • Betta Science
    • Betta Education
    • Betta genetics: color and form
    • Sex determination in bettas
    • Betta behavior
    • Betta spawning
  • Links
Indian Almond Leaf (IAL)
My fishroom would not function very well if I did not use IAL on a regular basis. In my extremely soft San Francisco water (0 kH and 0 gH), I can get away with adding a lot of IAL to drop the pH down past 5. At this low pH, the ammonia gets locked in a non-toxic form does not bother the bettas, and water conditions are essentially sterile. Despite these apparently extreme water conditions, my fish thrive and build bubblenests all the live long day, even when I keep them at room temperature. The wild Betta burdigala actually require this pH drop to initiate spawning. I believe that using lots of IAL keeps my fish happier, and allows me to avoid water changes :) Keep in mind that this technique might not work for people with harder water (which acts as a buffer to prevent pH drops).

How I use IAL: All I do is rip up the leaves into about 1 inch (2-3 cm) squares and scatter them onto the surface of the water. They will eventually sink. I use about 1/3 of a large leaf per gallon. For sensitive species like licorice gouramies, I add the leaves 24 hours before changing the water so that there is no pH shock. Bettas are so hardy that they can be changed 100% with no ill effects.
Copyright © 2017