Dart Den

How do I go about making tea for my tadpoles using Indian Almond leaves?

Winona1,

We usually take a gallon of bottled springwater, pour it in a stock pot, add a couple of leaves, let it come to a rolling boil for about 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat, let it cool (usually overnight), remove the leaves, and you have your tadpole tea. After you remove the leaves, you can dry them and reuse them.

Cindy Dicken
Vivarium Concepts
http://www.vivariumconcepts.com
http://www.rainforesthabitats.com

Where do you get these leaves from?

Steve

Can you use Maple as well as Almond ? If so, should they be dried out first or can you use them fresh ?

i don't know nothin' about maple leaves, but usually 'hard' leaves like oak or magnolia are used because they hold up well in wet vivs. you want to make sure that leaves are collected from areas well away from pesticides or herbicides. i think that most people collect dried leaves then boil them then let them dry completely to lessen the chance of introducing parasites into the viv.

You can get the Indian Almond leaves from Black Jungle or eBay.

Thank you all for replying... I can't find Almond leaves but I have a giant Maple growing in my neighbors yard. Two of them. Leaves everywhere. Right now they are as green as fresh grass.

Do the leaves breaking down help or hurt the environment? Should I remove them after they breakdown or let them become part of the substrate? Should I boil them and then dry them out before adding? The neighborhood I live in does not use Sprays or chemical bug killers.

I think I have an great "free" asset and would like to reap the rewards. I'm not concerned if the leaves breakdown since I have access to so many. I'm not planning on using them for tadpole tea, just leaf litter.

So normal almond leaves are fine to use? Do they have to be fallen ones ort can the be picked from the tree and dried?

Cindy: By my question I mean't that is it ok to pick the leaves from the tree and dry them...or do they have to naturally fall and dry? I heard picking and drying produces leaves with too much nutrients in them(sugars etc. that would have been removed had the leaf fallen naturally). Does it really matter?

Thanks Cindy! Are their any trees(I'm guessing you don't use evergreens) to avoid? Round here I know I can get sweet gum pretty easily and possibly mulberry leaves.

Good Thread. I always use Indian Almond leaf Tea for my Tadpoles.

eBay is probably the best and easiest place to score some Indian almond leaves. Be sure the seller has good feedback.

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid ... Categories

Am I correct in assuming that its the tannin in the leaves that I am after in making tadpole tea? If that is true any tannin rich leaf could work (like an oak leaf)?

Yes,

You could use Oak leaves....I think Sean S. uses em. Are all Tannins equal ? I don't know, but I prefer Indian Almond.

and yes....you can make the tadpole tea and store it for later use. It will keep for a while and you can use it later.

That said, I would try to store it in a glass container if it's going to be longer than a month or 2.

1. Take 1 piece leaf

2. Place in water

3. Good to go

Sally Wrote:1. Take 1 piece leaf

2. Place in water

3. Good to go

Could you say that in laymans terms for us non scientific types?

I use only Indian Almond leaves -tried and tested by the Betta Fish hobby !

After steeping and making the tea - don't throw out the used / squeezed leaves. You can tear pieces and place them into tad cups for grazing and hiding under. A win-win....makes tea and gets used afterwards.