BASIC INFORMATION:
Both the amateur and professional Aquarist also use Catechu Bark to mimic the natural conditions of their fish in their aquarium.
As with Indian Almond Bark, if your fish comes from a habitat where leaves and other plant debris regularly falls into the water and decompose, your fish will be happier in that environment so trying to mimic it in your aquariums is strongly recommended. Leaves and bark that fall into the water release many different compounds, from dyes to trace minerals, and fish living in the water adapt to having different compounds readily available. If your fish comes from the type of environment described above, Catechu Bark is one way of stimulating black water condition which is the natural environment for most tropical fish.
Like Indian Almond Bark, Catechu Bark is high in natural tannins which accounts for its astringent effect and has been proved to harden the scales of Bettas as well has sharpening their teeth. Acacia Catechu is also known as Cachou, Cutch, Cashoo, Terra Japonica, Khoyer or Japan Earth. Catechu bark is used in Thailand and around the world by Betta breeders/keepers that like to fight their fish.
Making your own Catechu Bark Blackwater Extract is pretty much straight forward:
1st you need a bag of Bettawan Catechu Bark (Acacia Catechu)
Next you need a pot big enough to hold at least 1 gallon of water, but the bigger the pot the more extract you will produce. Put 25g - 75g of Bettawan Catechu Bark for each gallon of water inside the pot.
Fill the pot with clean water.
Let the Catechu Bark soak in the water for 24 hours. It's best to put some type of weight on top of the Catechu Bark to stop it floating.
The following day boil the pot of Catechu Bark for 15-20 minutes. Put to one side and let it cool and stew for another 24 hours. The next day boil the pot again for 10-15 minutes.
Once the water as cooled you will notice that the water is black with a very strong fragrance. Filter the Catechu Bark blackwater extract through a coffee paper filter or an old pair of tights. This is to stop any undesirable matter getting into the blackwater extract.
The Catechu Bark blackwater extract can now be poured into plastic or glass bottles, sealed and stored in fridge or somewhere dark and cool. Great for simulating blackwater condition in the aquarium.
Once again, I wish you a very warm welcome to Bettawan. My name is Wan and I am from Thailand. We live in a little rice/sugarcane village in the middle of Thailand. We are surrounded by rice and sugarcane fields, mountains and jungle.
My father has always used Indian Almond Leaves (Terminalia Catappa), Teak Leaves (Tectona Grandis) and Banana leaf (Musa Balbisiana) for conditioning and well-being of his bettas, ever since he was introduced to them by a couple of his Thai betta breeder friends, from the village where we live.
Around our village, grow several Indian Almond Trees, that have been established there for many years and were we gather the leaves from. No insecticides whatsoever are used on the trees that we gather the freshly falling Indian Almond Leaves from. We never pick leaves from the tree, only the reddish/brown premium leaves that have falling. Also, we have planted several Indian Almond tree saplings, and all are doing really well. So, in the near future we will have our own supply of Indian almond Leaves (Terminalia Catappa) and will not have to venture out so far to gather.
FISH THAT BENEFIT FROM CATECHU BARK:
Betta, Discus, Gourami's, Killifish, Tetras, Dwarf Cichlids, Cory's, Plecos, some Rasboras and some Catfish. The Indian Almond Bark is also ideal for crustaceans and shrimps. Indian Almond Bark can also be used as litter in vivariums.
CATECHU BARK COMMON USES:
1. New fish is introduced to the Aquarium.
2. Setting up and maintaining a fry or baby fish Aquarium.
3. Setting up a new Aquarium.
4. To induce breeding in Betta fish.
5. When fish are sick. Especially bacterial infections / fungal infections.
6. Harden scales of Betta fish.
7. Sharpen teeth of Betta fish.
ADVANTAGES OF CATECHU BARK IN THE AQUARIUM:
1. Addition of Trace Minerals (100% Natural)
2. Anti-Inflammatory. Prevents and Cures diseases in fish (100% Natural)
3. Healing Agent (100% Natural)
4. Induces breeding in Betta fish (100% Natural)
5. Water Conditioner (100% Natural)
DOSAGE:
1 Ounce for 1 gallon of water.
SHIPPING AND HANDLING:
- Catechu Bark is bagged in clear plastic bags and boxed in sturdy boxes supplied by the Thai post office.
- We will ship the item to your address shown in your eBay account. Please make sure your shipping address and zip code is correct and up to date.
- We offer FREE International shipping with all our products.
The package will be shipped directly from Thailand. We use the International small packet and International parcel airmail services supplied by the Thai post office. Both services offer tracking numbers. Parcels usually take 12 - 14 working days to arrive once shipped.
Orders will normally ship within 5 days after payment has been cleared.
Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Please check with your countries customs to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.
RETURN POLICY:
100% satisfaction guarantee
If you are not satisfied with the product you have purchased for any reason, please contact us for return instructions within 30 days for a refund. Return shipping cost will be paid by buyer.
For all returned products, buyer must contact us for the returning address.
In all cases, buyers pay shipping fees at their own cost to return products for exchange or refund. We will be responsible for the postage of replacements. Refund will be made upon receipt of the returned undamaged item.
CONTACT US:
Your positive feedback is extremely valuable to us. If you have any concerns about your purchased item, please contact us through eBay message to resolve any issues before leaving negative feedback or opening a dispute. We will reply within 2 business days (public holidays not included) and will try our best to resolve it.
Bettawan, offer Aquatic dried good products, which cater for both the beginner, amateur and professional aquarist alike, at very reasonable prices.
We aim to supply a fast friendly service with quality products in a professional manner.
I thank you once again for visiting me on Ebay.
Regards
Wan