Hi all,

I have three IAL in my tank and one of them are demolished whereas the other two are barely or not even touched..

Does anyone know why this is?

Cheers,
Kev,

Same happens to me. I think it depends on the age of the leaves when they were dried and/or how long dried for. I notice the shrimp will be faster to eat the dull brown coloured leaves but slower to eat the reddish leaves.

I could be 100% wrong though haha

3 hours ago, waffle said:

Same happens to me. I think it depends on the age of the leaves when they were dried and/or how long dried for. I notice the shrimp will be faster to eat the dull brown coloured leaves but slower to eat the reddish leaves.

I could be 100% wrong though haha

Your observation is definitely the same as mine. Appears that the one eaten is more brown.. you could be onto something hahaha

Hi there, just wondering if Indian Almond leaves are locally available and if so at what stage are they picked (either off the tree or the ground) and are they just left to dry or are they blanched and then dried etc etc. Is there any locally available leaves from other trees that could also be used? 

Cheers

 

Hey puddlejumper mulberry leaves seem to be the most popular food for shrimps. Boil them for a few minutes to soften them a little before feeding. They often stampede them!

Love n peace

Will

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IAL and mulberry are two very different beasts though.  IAL is a hard leathery tannin rich leaf that sticks around for a long time under water while the shrimp slowly skeletonise it over weeks/months.  Mulberry is much softer and is eaten up much quicker and has much less tannin (however a yellow/brown leaf will colour the water).  Shrimp will break a mulberry leaf into many smaller bits over a few days to a week.   Other leaves that stick around for a long time like IAL are oak and loquat leaves.  They are usually picked up off the ground already brown and dry.   Mulberry on the other hand I prefer to pick green off the tree and then air dry (in a washing basket in the shed).  I feed the dry leaves to the shrimp. No blanching needed as they soften when rehydrated.

Mulberry leaves certainly are well accepted by my shrimp but i also find they love dried pumpkin leaves which have wonderful content of Vitamins and Minerals, Green bean leaves, beetroot leaves are also very good, i always dry my leaves and rehydrate them before feeding. Experimenting with choko and sweet potato at the moment, tried papaw leaves but the did'nt seem too fussy on them maybe a bit bitter for them although very good for us humans if used to prepare a tea and let cool before drinking, great for anyone suffering with bowel cancer. 

Do mulberry leaves effect water parameters in any way?

Anything you add to the tank will effect your water parameters in some way. All things in moderation and your water change regime keeps the tank balanced.