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.