SweetGum Balls (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Description

This listing is for 9 to 10 pods per bag, depending on size of pod!
These Sweetgum Balls are foraged from a local tree in my yard and are collected from the spring or season before. They are sun dried without the use of harmful chemicals or pesticides.
The product is for aquarium use only and not for human consumption.
Perfect for small aquariums, SweetGum Balls (
Liquidambar styraciflua
) are a great beginners botanical as they last a long time. While they don’t impart many visible tannins to the water, I use them to grow biofilms for my shrimp and snails, as well as add texture to the bottom of the aquarium!
A favorite among many shrimp keepers in Southeast Asia, they provide shelter for little shrimplets and make an excellent alternative food source for Neocaridina, Taiwan and Crystal Bee shrimp. Their unique appearance will add a new element to any biotope blackwater aquascapes and are gaining popularity among many aquascapers and shrimp keepers in the west.
This is a natural product, therefore, color, shape, and size will vary from piece to piece and that’s ok!
introducing the botanicals into the aquarium.
Tannins Released: High!
Releases beneficial tannins into the water.
Tannic acid is
a natural substance and leaches from new wood or leaves after they are added to the aquarium
. This happens in nature too and is often why many freshwater rivers appear to be a brown/yellow color. The tea-stained color that tannins produce is often referred to as the 'blackwater effect'
It is recommended to use 2-3 botanicals per 5 gallons to start
Boil for a minimum of 30 minutes and then soak in cold water overnight before
Provides natural food sources for shrimp and plecos.