Indian Almond Leaves with pictures

Origin. With a name like “Indian almond leaves,” we suspect these leaves originally came from India. We get ours thru a California company that gets them from Thailand. They undoubtedly now grow them commercially in Thailand.

Before the Origin. Before we finally found a source for these leaves, we kept getting requests for these “magic leaves” or yellow powder that would turn ordinary roundtails into bulletproof fighters. Several of our Asian customers used Black Water Tonic (former name) as the closest solution they could find. We tried to find these magical leaves for years. Most of the information we heard we just chalked up to Southeast Asian Urban Legends.

Couple Years Ago ... We heard the word “tea” in many of the requests, so when MelaFix came on the market, we thought this might be the answer. It’s made from an extract of the teaberry tree and helps wounded fishes heal. We tried it. Good product, but not the reputed magical leaf.

Indian Almond Leaves. Now that we have the leaves, our Southeast Asian betta customers still rave about the benefits of these magic leaves. (They rave even more when we run out.) We tried them ourselves and were impressed. In fact, we tested them on 60 of our bettas. We liked the results also.

Recipes. Use one square-inch of leaf per half-gallon of water for individual fish. Use one leaf per 10-gallon rearing tank for the fry. Use one-leaf per half-filled 10-gallon breeding tank.

Results. First you see your water turn yellow, then brown. The changed water seems to harden their scales. It helps them heal wounds and ward off illnesses. Be careful, because it also makes the male more aggressive at breeding time. On the other hand, it also helps the female recover from any wounds she receives during the breeding process.

The Science. Tannic and humic acids leach into the water to work this magic. It drops the pH in the water and hardens the betta’s scales. This works very similar to Black Water Tonic -- only better. There’s lots more ingredients in there that add to the mix. Most of the scientific explanation went over our head. We now believe in the magic.

Received August 2, 2004. "Hi, I brasilian and the only thing I would say is that Magic Almond Leave is very, very, very abundant in Brazil. Almost every city had varius individuals of this great tree (almost 20m of lenght).

The leaves drop down in the floor avery day, major in the winter. The bats make the polinization and dispersion of seeds.

It's very commom here and now, I and my friends begin to use that in our aquarium. That works in any fish or only in Betta?

Best reggards and sorry about freak english!"

Leoncio - Goiânia - Brasil

Dennis Pinpin, Philippines, December 10, 2009
The Indian Almond tree you mentioned is also very common in the Philippines. Its scientific name is Terminalia catappa. Just so you know.
They're called "Talisay" here in the Philippines. They function as shade trees, so much so they're also referred to as Umbrella Trees.
I don't see any freshwater pipsfish listed. I've seen the critters in Taal Lake, Philippines. The ones I saw were about 2 inches long.
Thanks! Love your fish site.

A: I'll add your Talisay tree info to my betta leaf page. We don't see freshwater pipefish very often. Since they insist on mostly live brine shrimp, most people should avoid them. Thanks. LA

Last Word. The leaves actually work. The oddest part? They’re not even expensive. LA.

Dime Scott, SoCalBettas, June 13, 2010
Hi, I was reading about your Betta Leaf forum. You know you can make your own Betta Spa Extract from the leafs. By boiling them in a pot of water till it turns brown, then cooling it down over night with the leaves inside and boiling it again. This way you can use it whenever you need it and not have to wait a couple days for the leaves to take effect. You can throw it in a fridge for months and it will still be good. I use it a lot on my breeding tanks and containers.

	Indian Almond Leaves The Secret Ingredient in Raising Strong Bettas -- *Terminalia catappa*

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Before we finally found a source for these leaves, we kept getting requests for these “magic leaves” or yellow powder that would turn ordinary roundtails into bulletproof fighters. Several of our Asian customers used Black Water Tonic (former name) as the closest solution they could find. We tried to find these magical leaves for years. Most of the information we heard we just chalked up to Southeast Asian Urban Legends. LA MelaFix sounded like what we were looking for. Couple Years Ago ... We heard the word “tea” in many of the requests, so when MelaFix came on the market, we thought this might be the answer. It’s made from an extract of the teaberry tree and helps wounded fishes heal. We tried it. Good product, but not the reputed magical leaf. LA Indian almond leaf -- very popular item for betta keepers. Indian Almond Leaves. Now that we have the leaves, our Southeast Asian betta customers still rave about the benefits of these magic leaves. (They rave even more when we run out.) We tried them ourselves and were impressed. In fact, we tested them on 60 of our bettas. We liked the results also. Recipes. Use one square-inch of leaf per half-gallon of water for individual fish. Use one leaf per 10-gallon rearing tank for the fry. Use one-leaf per half-filled 10-gallon breeding tank. Results. First you see your water turn yellow, then brown. The changed water seems to harden their scales. It helps them heal wounds and ward off illnesses. Be careful, because it also makes the male more aggressive at breeding time. On the other hand, it also helps the female recover from any wounds she receives during the breeding process. The Science. Tannic and humic acids leach into the water to work this magic. It drops the pH in the water and hardens the betta’s scales. This works very similar to Black Water Tonic -- only better. There’s lots more ingredients in there that add to the mix. Most of the scientific explanation went over our head. We now believe in the magic. LA The "magic" Indian Almond Leaf. Received August 2, 2004. "Hi, I brasilian and the only thing I would say is that Magic Almond Leave is very, very, very abundant in Brazil. Almost every city had varius individuals of this great tree (almost 20m of lenght). The leaves drop down in the floor avery day, major in the winter. The bats make the polinization and dispersion of seeds. It's very commom here and now, I and my friends begin to use that in our aquarium. That works in any fish or only in Betta? Best reggards and sorry about freak english!" Leoncio - Goiânia - Brasil Dennis Pinpin, Philippines, December 10, 2009 The Indian Almond tree you mentioned is also very common in the Philippines. Its scientific name is Terminalia catappa. Just so you know. They're called "Talisay" here in the Philippines. They function as shade trees, so much so they're also referred to as Umbrella Trees. I don't see any freshwater pipsfish listed. I've seen the critters in Taal Lake, Philippines. The ones I saw were about 2 inches long. Thanks! Love your fish site. LA Six-inch freshwater pipefish -- a very difficult fish to keep. A: I'll add your Talisay tree info to my betta leaf page. We don't see freshwater pipefish very often. Since they insist on mostly live brine shrimp, most people should avoid them. Thanks. LA Last Word. The leaves actually work. The oddest part? They’re not even expensive. LA. Dime Scott, SoCalBettas, June 13, 2010 Hi, I was reading about your Betta Leaf forum. You know you can make your own Betta Spa Extract from the leafs. By boiling them in a pot of water till it turns brown, then cooling it down over night with the leaves inside and boiling it again. This way you can use it whenever you need it and not have to wait a couple days for the leaves to take effect. You can throw it in a fridge for months and it will still be good. I use it a lot on my breeding tanks and containers. A: Correctamundo. I'll add your info to my betta leaf page. 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