IAL Tea

[Lion Mom]

Ok - so I made some "tea" with my IAL leaves and have nicely colored 6 cups of water. Now what?

How much do I add to the tanks? 1/4 cup per gallon? More? Less?

Also, how long can it be stored? Should it be kept in the refrigerator?

First time trying this. Can you tell? LOL!

Thanks!!!

[vaygirl]

I've read that each leaf treats 10 gallons. I guess you'd have to know how many leaves you used? Not sure about shelf life.

[Lion Mom]

What the heck? Nobody knows for sure what to do with the tea (how much to use) once it's made????

[1fish2fish]

Just dump it in until you get a color you like. Some people like it really dark (like blackwater), some like it like tea (which is how I like it), and some just like a very light yellow tint. Its up to you how much you use.

It lasts longer if you refrigerate it I've heard, I'm not sure because I prefer just to throw a leaf in the tank instead of boiling it/etc.

[Lion Mom]

THANK YOU!!!1

Does just putting a leaf in the tank work as well, do you think? That's pretty much what I had been doing, but then started thinking the tea thing would be the way to go.

Just putting the leaf in the tank sure is a lot less hassle!!!

[1fish2fish]

yup.. works exactly the same.. just may take a little longer to tint your water.

Some people don't like it because once the leaf starts to degrade it can foul up your water, not making the water quality bad but you just have rotting pieces of leave in your gravel. I counteract this by taking the leaf out once it starts to look bad (duh!) others choose to put the leaf in pantyhose.

The IAL extract is a hassle IMO. You have to re-boil and strain and it seems to me like it never tints the water how I want. The leaf works great and lasts forever it seems.

[Lion Mom]

OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

I thought I was being a bad fish mommy by not making the tea!!!

[1fish2fish]

LOL.. I don't think so. Its just a matter of opinioin. I don't mind seeing the leaf because I know it benefits the fish. Other people don't like the "eye sore" of it.

[Lion Mom]

Originally Posted by 1fish2fish

LOL.. I don't think so. Its just a matter of opinioin. I don't mind seeing the leaf because I know it benefits the fish. Other people don't like the "eye sore" of it.

Oh, I don't mind seeing it at all - I'm a more "natural" tank lover & that just adds to it, IMO.

Thanks again!

[PeiMai]

ok so is there any benefit to this....and if so where the heck do you find this????