How to Prepare Botanicals

Every botanical we sell is a natural product, dried and packed by hand. A few minutes of preparation cleans off dust and loose debris, releases the first heavy flush of tannins, and helps each piece sink instead of floating. It's the difference between a smooth start and a cloudy one.

The basic method

  1. Rinse. Run each piece under clean water to wash off dust and loose debris. Never use soap, bleach, or other cleaners.
  2. Boil or steep. Boil in plain water, or for thin leaves, pour just-boiled water over them and let them steep. Use the times in the table below.
  3. Discard the prep water. The first water carries dust and a strong flush of tannins. Pour it out.
  4. Soak until they sink. Cool the botanicals in fresh, dechlorinated water. Leaves usually sink within hours; dense pods, husks, and roots can take a few days. Change the soaking water if it gets very dark.
  5. Add slowly. Start small and build up over days or weeks (see Adding to Your Tank below).

Prep times by botanical type

Each product page lists its own prep time. If a product page and this table differ, follow the product page.

Type Examples from our shop Boil or steep Soak to sink
Fine material Casuarina needles, climbing swamp fern Rinse, then steep in hot water 5–10 min A few hours
Leaves Catappa, guava, jambolan, jackfruit, mango, longan, cacao, macaranga, mangrove Boil 15–25 min, or until soft and flexible Hours to 1 day
Pre-softened leaves Fermented catappa Rinse well; a short 5-min steep is optional Usually sinks right away
Cones and husks Casuarina cones, coconut husk, betel husk Boil 30–60 min 1–3 days
Seed pods Sterculia pods, mahogany pod sections, sappanwood pods Boil 30–60 min 1–7 days
Roots and bark Melastoma roots, catappa bark Boil 1–2 hours, or soak 24–48 hours 1–7 days
Peat and shavings Organic sphagnum peat moss, sappanwood shavings Rinse, pack into a filter bag, and pre-soak Not needed (keep in the bag)

A piece that still floats after soaking isn't a problem. You can weigh it down under wood or a root until it sinks on its own.

Adding to Your Tank

Go slowly, especially with fish or shrimp already in the tank. Start with a small amount, about a quarter of the dose on the product page, and add more over the following days or weeks. Each product page gives a starting dose per 10 gal (38 L).

After each addition, check:

  • Water clarity: a clear tint is good; milky cloudiness is not.
  • pH: especially in soft or RO water, where botanicals can lower it quickly.
  • Your animals: watch for normal swimming, feeding, and color.

Remove activated carbon from your filter. It pulls tannins out of the water.

What's Normal

  • A tea, amber, or brown tint. That's the tannins doing their job.
  • White, fuzzy, or slimy growth on new botanicals. This is biofilm and harmless fungi, often called the "goo phase." It peaks in the first week or two, then fades as the tank settles. Shrimp and snails often graze it.
  • Softening and breakdown. Leaves break down over weeks; pods and roots over months. Let them become part of the substrate, or replace them as they fall apart.

Warning Signs

Take action if you see any of these:

  • Milky or heavily cloudy water
  • A foul or rotten smell
  • Fish gasping at the surface, or shrimp crowding near the top
  • A sudden drop in pH

Decomposing botanicals use up oxygen. If any of these show up, remove some of the botanicals, do a partial water change, and increase surface movement with your filter outlet or an air stone. Then add botanicals back more slowly.

Storage

Keep unused botanicals dry, in a sealed bag or container, away from heat and humidity. Puerto Rico's humidity can bring mold, so a small silica packet in the container helps. Discard any piece that shows mold before preparation.

Please note: Not for human consumption. Preparation required before aquarium use. Because these are natural products, size, shape, color, and texture will vary from piece to piece.

Create slowly. Observe closely. Let the sunken forest come to life.