Hard water tannins?

[MrsShrimp]

I also keep reading that rooibos contains a lot of antioxidants and polyphenols, which some people seen to think are good for fish. (Of course, a lot of people think aloe vera is good for fish too, which I'm far from sure about...) I put a couple tea bags in each tank and left them until the water took on a light Amber color. Probably won't hurt; might help.

I'm following this discussion with interest as we buy Rooibos teabags. I can't stand the smell or taste of the stuff but husband swears by Rooibos or Redbush tea. I have been using PH Down on advice from my father but have been informed here that it's dangerous to fish. I only add 1ml to my 10g tank and the level is 7.6. I would be interested to hear what effect adding a Rooibos teabag to the filter would achieve.
Thanks

 

[GaryE]

Ah, tea. I rarely drink it, but I go through a lot. I use rooibos and decaffeinated black tea. They stain the water differently, with rooibos giving a more attractive colour. I'm not especially impressed with how either doctors the water. Oak leaf tea or alder tea work much better for that. But to me, they're all part of the arsenal for turning my soft water into more blackwater fish friendly water.

I suspect that lighting is more important for many fish than we realize. We study it for plants, but a lot of fish behave more at ease if the water is tannin stained than if it isn't. You also see different colours with tannins, Cardinal tetras are stunning with them. I think they reduce stress and give blackwater fish an environment their vision is adapted to. That can have a great health effect. The posting from @TwoTankAmin covers that well. Thanks for that.

Many plants do poorly with them though. Light gets filtered.

In more acid water, many hardwater pathogens can't survive. To go back to the original question, I'm not sure tannins in a hard water tank would accomplish a lot. It's the overall water composition that affects which bacteria (good or bad for us), parasites and such can thrive.

I've now seen tropical blackwater streams, and on a human eye looking at them level, they look no different than my local blackwater creeks and lakes. I know there have to be chemical differences, as I'm surrounded by resinous pines, and differently developed peat bogs. But the water LOOKS the same.

Last week I was walking along a beach lined with trees that had a familiar leaf - the 'tropical almond' leaves Betta keepers use so much, and that cost a fair bit. They were everywhere coastal in Benin, and if I hadn't been concerned abut how Canadian Customs would get excited about plant matter, I would have harvested a huge supply. In the few times I've used them, they pack a tannin punch and they have altered the biology of tanks for the better. I see rooibos as great for the cosmetic look of the tank without making major changes (that would bounce around with every water change). Yesterday was water change day in my tanks - today is rooibos day. I love the stuff for fish, but I'm a coffee drinker.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The main benefits of using Rooibos are the fact that is stains great and if done as a brewed tea there is no mess in the tanks or filter at all. It will neither soften water nor lower the pH. But it is caffine free. It also has some medicinal properties which are beneficial for fish. Therenis research on Rooibos and fish. Here are a few links from Google Scholar.

• rooibos tea and tilapia
• rooibos tea and aquaculture
• rooibos tea and zebrafish
• rooibos tea and salmon
• rooibos tea and shrimp
• rooibos tea effect on fish
• rooibos tea and rohu

Park, S.H., Do, Y.S., Kim, Y.S., Kim, N.Y., Lee, J.H., Kim, J.H. and Yoon, M.H., 2017. Determination of Phenolic Contents in Rooibos (Asphalthus linearis) Tea Depending on the Steeping Temperature and Time. Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety, 32(5), pp.389-395.

Abstract​

A simultaneous determination of 5 phenolic acids (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, pcoumaric acid, trans ferulic acid) and 9 flavonoids (procyanidin b1, aspalathin, rutin, vitexin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, luteolin, quercetin, chrysoeriol) in rooibos tea has been carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). A validated analysis method in this study was applied to rooibos aqueous infusions. Rooibos tea is an antioxidant-rich tea which has anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic effect. Extraction yield of phenolics depends on steeping time and temperature of water. Tea infusions were prepared by placing 1 g of tea leaves or 1 tea bag in 100 mL of boiled water, and then at 3, 6 and 30 minutes intervals the infused teas were taken to carry out the analysis of phenolic contents. Another tea infusion was conducted with cold water (25-30°C) for 30 minuntes. As a result, the total amount of phenolics was highest in rooibos tea steeped with hot water for 30 minutes, followed by 6 minutes, 3 minutes and cold water 30 minutes and the result has statistical significance.

The whole paper only seems to be available in Korean

 

[WhistlingBadger]

The main benefits of using Rooibos are the fact that is stains great and if done as a brewed tea there is no mess in the tanks or filter at all. It will neither soften water nor lower the pH. But it is caffine free. It also has some medicinal properties which are beneficial for fish. Therenis research on Rooibos and fish. Here are a few links from Google Scholar.

• rooibos tea and tilapia
• rooibos tea and aquaculture
• rooibos tea and zebrafish
• rooibos tea and salmon
• rooibos tea and shrimp
• rooibos tea effect on fish
• rooibos tea and rohu

Park, S.H., Do, Y.S., Kim, Y.S., Kim, N.Y., Lee, J.H., Kim, J.H. and Yoon, M.H., 2017. Determination of Phenolic Contents in Rooibos (Asphalthus linearis) Tea Depending on the Steeping Temperature and Time. Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety, 32(5), pp.389-395.

Abstract​

A simultaneous determination of 5 phenolic acids (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, pcoumaric acid, trans ferulic acid) and 9 flavonoids (procyanidin b1, aspalathin, rutin, vitexin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, luteolin, quercetin, chrysoeriol) in rooibos tea has been carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). A validated analysis method in this study was applied to rooibos aqueous infusions. Rooibos tea is an antioxidant-rich tea which has anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic effect. Extraction yield of phenolics depends on steeping time and temperature of water. Tea infusions were prepared by placing 1 g of tea leaves or 1 tea bag in 100 mL of boiled water, and then at 3, 6 and 30 minutes intervals the infused teas were taken to carry out the analysis of phenolic contents. Another tea infusion was conducted with cold water (25-30°C) for 30 minuntes. As a result, the total amount of phenolics was highest in rooibos tea steeped with hot water for 30 minutes, followed by 6 minutes, 3 minutes and cold water 30 minutes and the result has statistical significance.

The whole paper only seems to be available in Korean

나는 한국어를 배울 시간이 없다. 이미 취미가 너무 많다.