I have recently bought an indian almond plant and mulberry - solely for this shrimp hobby purposes. Not really sure if indian almond's fruit edible.

 

Need some advice of IAL and mulberry leaves. Do we give them fresh leaves or it has to be dried ones?

 

Some documented that IAL can lower pH. Can I ask what are other effects and beneficial sides of this IAL?

 

Thanks guys

Its best to allow the leaves to completely dry out before feeding them to the shrimp.

Another effect of IAL is the release of tannins into the water. Tannins are thought to have antibacterial effects .i.e. They may benefit the health of your shrimp. Tannins can also give a yellow tinge of colour to your water, so be careful about how much IAL you add to a tank at a time.

Edited March 16, 201511 yr by fishmosy

Do I also better to dried up mulberry leaves? Cos' I have occasionally feed them fresh ones (blanching with hot water for at least 10 min) - they didn't eat it at first day but start to eat it on 2nd day (maybe mulberry leaves started to decay?)

 

Fishmosy, when you say dried - do you mean dried naturally? Or can I just pluck the leaves and dried them up?

 

How long do you reckon I should let the IAL in the water?

I feed my mulberry leaves fresh

Just blanch them and away you go

Do I also better to dried up mulberry leaves? Cos' I have occasionally feed them fresh ones (blanching with hot water for at least 10 min) - they didn't eat it at first day but start to eat it on 2nd day (maybe mulberry leaves started to decay?)

 

Fishmosy, when you say dried - do you mean dried naturally? Or can I just pluck the leaves and dried them up?

 

How long do you reckon I should let the IAL in the water?

It may be possible to dry them using a food drier or similar, but if you let them dry naturally it wont cost you any power or time.

You can leave the IAL in until its totally consumed. Some people pull out the 'skeleton' or leftover veins once the main part of the leaf is consumed because they consider it unsightly.

If i have have a large amount of leaves I blanch some then roll them and freeze them, I also put them fresh into a cloth bag or pillow case and hang them on the clothes line for a few days. They dry really nicely and there is no mould on them -if not dried properly you could get mould on them then they won't be any good.

Here are some blanched and rolled ready for the freezer

Edited March 16, 201511 yr by ineke

Awesome....looks like vine leaves...dolmades!

Edited March 16, 201511 yr by inverted

Thanks guys for tips.

Btw Ineke, your rolled leaves do look like vine leaves - looks appetising.

Albash

 

Depending on where you live the IAL may not do well for you as it is one of those plants that like the tropics, edible fruit? sure is, it is a nut like a almond and tasty as well as being produced in large numbers.

Plant sellers, sell plants that should not grow in there area it is sold all the time.

 

IAL leaves have to go red and start to dry on the tree or they are dangerous so don't pick and dry them, it is withdrawing dangerous compounds before the tree drops the leaves, they do it at season change or stress, Mulberry I pick green and press Them lightly to dry for use, nothing dangerous in mulberry's and the fruit makes a top pie with cream YES.

 

Bob

Hi Northboy (Bob), thanks for the advice. My mulberry leaves start turn into yellowish colour. I may be trying to pluck some fresh and dried them and the rest just leave them dried seasonally.

 

Not really sure if indian almond can survive in Melbourne - finger crossed then.

I don't even blanch my mulberry leaves. Pick them early in the season while they're softer and smaller, bag them and store them in the freezer. The shrimp start eating them within the first day I add them to the tank. 

I never remove any leaf skeletons from the tanks; Kale leaves some fine stringy fiber behind which I do sometimes remove. 

 

You will need at least a greenhouse to grow Terminalia down here in Melbourne. Probably a heated greenhouse. If you don't have one available try to keep it in a sunny window in the house from about April-May to October. 

I pick them off the tree and spread them in a plastic basket that I just leave in the shed to air dry.  When the basket is empty I pick some more.    Fresh leaves (not blanched) will persist under water for weeks without really breaking down.  Dried, blanched or frozen only last a few days.  My "holiday feeder" is a dry leaf and a fresh leaf. 

Glad to see there is others that don't go silly boiling every thing that goes in the tank, I can now fess up, I pick and put mulberry leaves straight in the tank works well. Wood from the creek, if its clean straight in, coral from the beach straight in, coral is not recommended for every one, only ones with really soft water.

 

 

Albash Melbourne no I think not, try it any way, I was thing you were in Brisbane,  Melbourne  . The fruit is good I will get some photos when they are on, have a look at Fishmossy's cairns trip threads, he has a photo of a tree down the road from me and leaves ALL over the ground. May be 100,000+

 

Bob

I will hug this indian almond this coming winter

Do they grow easily from seed?   I'm in Melbourne but I have an empty glasshouse with 4m high roof!

 

Where did you get yours albash?   

Edited March 18, 201511 yr by Grubs

They grow easy from seed as they are common up here and get BIG

 

Have a look at fishmosy's thread, random pics from cairns, in the field trip area, you will be trimming a lot when it grows.

 

There may be some seed around again soon, but right now there is nothing.

 

If you have a glass house why arn't you growing Crypts and Swords out of water in there. They would do well in there

 

Bob

Do they grow easily from seed?   I'm in Melbourne but I have an empty glasshouse with 4m high roof!

 

Where did you get yours albash?   

Grubs, I bought IAL from ebay. I think the nursery is in Queensland and it only cost me around $15 or $20 (don't really remember) includes postage for a plant approx. 25 or 30cm high.