SunGrow Alder Cones for Shrimps, Water Conditioner for Freshwater Shrimp Tanks, Aquarium Decorations & Accessories (50 Pcs)

Great little cones doing exactly what they're supposed to. They're about an inch to an inch and a half long. First 2 images are before, the next are after 24 hours of 1 cone in my 5 gallon. A few things to note before buying this: 1. The purpose of Alder cones is mainly to release tannins into the water column. Tannins have beneficial properties to the livestock in the tank and mimics some species natural environment to reduce their stress. Unless you have something like activated carbon or purigen in your filter- these cones will turn your water brown/tea colored! (Google blackwater aquarium- the colored water effect of this style is from a tannin source.) Removing tannins via chemical filtration also sort of defeats the purpose of adding the cone in the first place. If you don't want your tank to get very dark, you can either add fewer cones or get something that releases tannins less/more slowly, i.e Indian almond leaves, oak leaves, or driftwood, but it's still likely that your water will no longer be crystal clear if that's the look you prefer. 2. Adding tannins will drop your PH! For how much and how long depends on how much is added and what's maintained or removed, along with what kind of buffering capacity your water has- but please be aware of this and monitor. Especially if you already have livestock in the tank that may be sensitive to this. 3. Instructions on the package recommend 1 cone per gallon. That's A LOT. I'd recommend 1 per 5 gallons and add 1 more per 5 gallons after a few days if needed. As you can see from the photos, just 1 cone noticeably darkened my 5 gallon tank. I may add one more in another 24 hours but that will likely be more than enough to get the effect that I'm looking for. 4. The cones will float like driftwood does until water logged. I had a spare U clip and plant pot that I put the cone in and clipped it to the side of my tank to keep it underwater until it sinks. (Pictured) Again, awesome product and works just as intended. I love the blackwater look personally but it's not for everyone. Just don't rag on the seller because you bought a product that you didn't look into.

I didn't bother reading the instructions on the backside like a dumbdumb because I thought these would be like many others - barely changes water color for maybe a week. Nope. I put 5 in a 10 gallon and 15 in a 55 gallon. Within a couple hours, both were the most delicious looking tea color I've ever seen my tanks. I put them in a basket and have them browning another 10 gallon as we speak. I did do my due dilligence and removed half. The gorgeous, nearly black darkness in my 55 gallon barely reduced my pH by 0.1 so people are freaking out for no reason. I have particularly hard tap water so these will help tremendously!

They work! If you’re not totally familiar with what they do definitely look into it. I soaked my cone in dechlorinated water for a full 24 hours before I put it in my tank and the next day it was so dark I could not see through the water. It’s great for the fish and the shrimp but if you want to see them you might consider soaking your cone a little longer! I did a 25% water change and then I took the picture that you see posted. I didn’t snap one before but this gives you an idea of what it looks like.

PSA. Make sure to boil them. I started boiling them for an hour but when I put it into the tank, it tan it A LOT. Not an issue with the cones, it was me. So I boiled them for a few more hours with water changes in between. I also soaked it overnight. Much much better now. I also had to do water changes in my tank. Again my issue not the cones. They work and now looks great in the tank.

No, well not purchase again. These need to be soaked properly. Before placing them in your cleaned tank. Unless your want a dark brown natural creek looking tank. Not for me. Not fur my shrimp.

Thought these were great. A good size. I didn’t boil them as instructed but I’ve used other that I also didn’t boil before use. But these killed my guppies and created a nasty film in the water I use to top off my larger tank. I’ll try boiling them next time but may just toss them. Can’t really see the film that was created I’ve pour a good amount out but this is what was left.

I keep natural style tanks for my fish and shrimp. I find natural tanks with a lot of plants, tannins, leaf litter, etc. encourage shrimp to breed like crazy. So I use cholla wood, almond leaves, and now these alder cones. The shrimp love to pick at them all day, and they usually saturate and fall to the bottom of the tank within 2 days. Then they start leeching tannins. I have very, very hard water where I live which is great because it encourages shell growth, but I worry about the PH and its long-term effect on the shrimp. These have the benefit of also softening the water to a point where I can add new water/top off a tank and get the shrimp the minerals they need, while the tannins from these keep the water at a softer, more comfortable level. It's win-win for everyone and means that I only have to disturb the water/water change rarely. And if there's one thing shrimp like, it's consistency. If left alone/not boiled, these will grow biofilm the same way stuff like driftwood does. If you've never seen biofilm before, it is white, hairlike, and milky. Some people mistake it for fungus. It looks yucky but it is actually a good thing for your tank. Firstly because it's a sign there is beneficial bacteria in the tank breaking organic matter down - which is necessary for a healthy tank. Secondly because shrimp LOVE to eat biofilm! Biofilm is natural food for inverts like shrimp, snails, and for some fish like plecos. Anyway these came fast and were exactly what I expected. I just rinsed them off and added them to all my tanks.

The picture doesn't 100% show how dark the tannins are in the larger tank. I have been trying out different botanicals thru sunglow such as the small Catappa leaves, these alder cones and the Cholla wood. The small Catappa leaves didn't do much so why I tried the cones next. The large Betta tank (15 gallon) I put in two cones after boiling for 15 minutes and my tank got very dark to the point that I removed one cone. In the smaller Crystal red Shrimp tank (5gallon) I put in one cone which was perfect. So these cones do a great job vs other items I have for tannins but be careful how many you put in. I also tested the water in both tanks and my ph came back lowered which was the main reason I grabbed the three different items since my ph was around 7.6 but after testing I am about 7.2-7.0 so the alder cones are definitely helping . Very happy with these cones!

It's a very small bag but good stuff. Make sure you boil it before adding to your tank. Mine were very dirty.

The alter cones stained the water very quickly. I would suggest boil them first then as stated 1 per gal Found foe.myself 1 for every 5 gals. When I do a dark river tank I will be using these botanical.

Tamise vraiment bien l’eau. Ne pas en utiliser beaucoup.

While these cones were great for my shrimps, they killed all of my fishes and snails in the tank! These include guppies and corydoras. The shrimps all survived and were seen snacking on them. I wouldn't purchase this again and beware if you have other fishes in tank.