jameson_uk
Member
I quite often add alder cones, indian qlmond leaves and oak leaves to my tanks. This is mainly for the biofilm but I have always noted that I never see any noticeable staining of the water.
I have read a few articles suggesting that adding botanics to hard water won't achieve much (ie. https://tanninaquatics.com/blogs/the-tint-1/that-ph-thing-again). My original thinking was this was just talking about dropping pH (If you have high KH it is harder to adjust the pH). My water however only has KH5.
This got me thinking about whether these botanicals are actually giving off tannins / hummins and why I don't see any real staining (even if I add several leaves in a small tank)
I have read a few articles suggesting that adding botanics to hard water won't achieve much (ie. https://tanninaquatics.com/blogs/the-tint-1/that-ph-thing-again). My original thinking was this was just talking about dropping pH (If you have high KH it is harder to adjust the pH). My water however only has KH5.
This got me thinking about whether these botanicals are actually giving off tannins / hummins and why I don't see any real staining (even if I add several leaves in a small tank)