First off I must state that I can't take credit for this idea (though I'd love to), It was thought up and posted by "Bettafan" from the Ultimate Bettas Forum. This is my take on it.
DIY Almond Leaf Extract (Betta Spa)
You'll need: 20 Indian Almond Leaves, A 6 qt. or larger pot and 2 gallons of water (best to use an old pot or a non-stick one as the "extract" will stain bare metal and is hard to clean out)
Step #1
Start by adding 1 gallon of water and the 20 IAL leaves to the pot and bring to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat and allow to slowly boil for about an hour. Turn off the heat and allow to steep for another hour. Remove the leaves and save for part 2.(I put them in a 1 gal zip lock bag) and bring solution up to a boil again. Leave uncovered and allow to reduce to about 1 qt. Turn off heat and cool. Find a suitable container to store it in. (I used a 1/2 gal milk jug) Fill a funnel with "filter floss" and strain the solution into the jug.
Step #2
Repeat Step 1, (LOL) only this time boil the leaves for about two hours. Steep, Reduce, Cool, Strain as before. Now you can "toss" the leaves as they are pretty well used up.
What you are left with is 1/2 gal of highly concentrated "Betta Spa". (6+ month supply for me) I use mine at the rate of 1 teaspoon per gal. and it tints the water a light amber color, plus it adds all of the "good stuff" bettas love. I used mine for every water change in my (17) 1 gal bowls the males are housed in for over 3 months and had only used slightly less than 1/2 of it. At the 3 1/2 month point however, mine aquired a "soured" smell, so I tossed it out and made more. I had been storing it at room temperature, (Duh.... :chair LOL) so when I made the new batch, I keep it refrigerated between uses. Since it is all natural with no preservatives, it just makes sense that it be refrigerated. Hopefully you'll learn from my mistake.
My total cost for 1/2 gallon of "Spa"= $4.40 (not including electricity to "cook" it)
I'd hate to think about how much it would have cost for enough "Atison's Betta Spa" to treat all of that water for 3 months @ $5 a bottle.
Thanks "Bettafan" for an affordable way to keep our bettas happier and healthier w/o breaking the bank!!!
(On the "Sellers Links" page I included the eBay and AquaBid links to the lady I buy my leaves from.)
yeah .. i do this too but make smaller batches... i dont want to end up having to chuck it out for going bad!! ... and i call mine betta gin ... as i keep it in a real nice square gin bottle!! ...
Yeah, I had to toss half of my first batch because it went bad. I've been refrigerating my second batch and we'll see how that goes, it may be that I'll have to make smaller batches in the future too.
Betta Gin.... he he he ...... you may have something there!!