Jackfruit Leaves

The Jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is widely known in some parts of the tropical world, and has been consumed as a food and used in traditional medicines for centuries. They are particularly abundant in India, and that's where our story begins. Our good friend, author Sumer Tiwari, turned us on to these unique leaves and told us how Jackfruit trees are often found overhanging rivers in India, dropping leaves into the water, and of course, imparting a brownish tint as they decompose! 

They have been used by fish keepers in India to impart tannins into their aquarium water, much in the way Catappa, Guava, or other leaves are.  Sumer tells us they work great with his killies and Dwarf Cichlids! As lovers of aquatic botanicals, and leaves in particular, we were immediately interested, and were able to secure a terrific source for these unusual leaves! To our knowledge, they're not available anywhere else for aquarium use, and we're thrilled to offer them to you!

Jackfruit contains phytonutrients, such as lignans, isoflavones, and saponins that have health benefits that are wide ranging for humans. There is some conflicting data regarding jackfruit's antifungal activity. However, the leaves are thought to exhibit a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. In traditional medicine, these leaves are used to help heal wounds as well. Do these properties transfer over to our fishes and shrimp? We are not aware of any scientific studies that have been completed to correlate one way or another, so for now, we're content to utilize these leaves for their aesthetics- and proven ability to impart a tannin tint into aquarium water!

We're so enamored with these leaves that we wrote all about 'em in a recent edition of  our blog, "The Tint."

These are nicely-shaped, high quality leaves that bring a very nice "tropical" aesthetic to the aquarium, as well as that tint we love so much around here! They will last a pretty long time- not quite as long as Magnolia, but longer than Catappa and Guava, in our experience. They are pretty good-sized, too! When we tested them, after one month submerged, we found them to be almost as "solid" as the day they were placed in the tank! They will recruit biofilms on their surfaces, which ornamental shrimp love to feed on- as well as consuming the leaves themselves as they soften. They look great either on their own, or as a component of a mixed leaf litter bed in your aquarium!

Add these leaves gradually to your aquarium, at a rate of just a couple of leaves for each 10 U.S. gallons of aquarium capacity, so that you can gauge for yourself the impact they have on your water. Although these leave may come in a bit "crispy" (i.e.; dry and brittle), they seem to soften up nicely upon immersion, and this doesn't impact their "performance", in our experience. Tannin Indian Jackfruit leaves come in a convenient package of 12 leaves of mixed sizes, for a variety of aquatic applications.

Origin: Sandakan, Sabah, Borneo

PREPARATION: Although collected in an area that is free from pesticides or other contaminants, it's just good common sense to prep them before using in your aquarium. As with the other leaves we offer, we recommend that you rinse and/or steep them in boiling water before use.

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