TALISAY LEAVES

(Terminalia catappa)
AS pH CORRECTANT
of WATER IN AN
AQUARIUM
Background of the study
Indian almond, Terminalia catappa species
is known in English under names such as
Bengal almond, Singapore almond, Malabar
almond, Talisay almond and Tropical almond.
The plant has been commonly used among
aquarists to promote the natural environment
for better health of animals. The extracts of
the plant were known to be able to reduce
water pH and heavy metal toxicity (Chyau et
al 2006).
 Indian almond leaves or catappa leaves
is also known to lower the pH of the
water because of the tannins and humic
substances that’s been released. To lower
the pH of your water, you will need
something that will slowly soften the
water and bring the pH down. Indian
Almond leaves are perfect at doing this,
and they also help the immune system of
your fish, something that a commercial
product cannot do (Jason 2019).
 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
people settled in their homes, some
sought new hobbies during their stay
at home and one of those hobbies is
taking care of ornamental fish which
serves as an entertainment for they
have a variety of colors, beautiful fins
and various kinds of fish inside their
aquarium (Journal of Fishery, 2019).
 Most of them are newbies in this
kind of activity which leads to fish
disease and fatality. One of the
reasons behind this situation is having
a poor quality of water that causes
growth of bacteria which is the very
reason for water contamination that
also the reason for high pH level in
aquarium (Marcus, 2017).
 When you’re just starting out as an
aquarist trying to maintain the condition of
your aquarium can be challenging. There are
so many things you need to keep an eye out
for; this means there are a lot of mistakes
that you can make. A lot of the time these
beginner mistakes  are made because of a
lack of experience. The common reason why
aquarium fish die is due to owner
unpreparedness or does not have enough
knowledge in taking care of their pets.
Adding fish before the aquarium is
ready If you add fish before your water
parameters are stable it’s very likely
your fish will die. Before you add your
fish, your tank must have stabilized.
This means you need to complete a
nitrogen cycle  and water parameters
(pH, temperature, hardness) must be
stable (Robert 2018).
 Balanced water parameters are crucial
to keeping a healthy and thriving
aquarium. While different tanks require
their own ideal measures, ALL tanks
require a balanced pH. Keeping aquarium
water pH stable and balanced. Balanced
pH further prevents fish stress from
exposure to fluctuating chemistry levels.
Which in turn, weakens their immune
defense and overall health (Monalisa 2020).
 Ornamental Fish keeping and its propagation
has been an interesting activity for many,
which provide not only aesthetic pleasure but
also financial openings. These fishes are
fascinating organisms, abundantly distributed
in freshwater, blackish water and inshore
marine ecosystems. One of the things that we
must consider enable to preserve the life of
aquatic organisms is through paying attention
to the quality of water and its appropriate pH
level. Fish and other aquatic animal and plant
life require the water they live in to be a
certain pH level in order to be healthy.
 If the pH level is too low or too high, it
can make fish sick, even kill them. A low
pH means that the water is acidic; a high
pH means that the water is alkaline (Alexis
Rohlin, 2018). 7.0 is considered neutral.
Most freshwater aquarium tropical fish do
best at a pH of 6.8 to 7.6, although certain
fish may require higher or lower levels. The
pH of an aquarium tends to drop over time
due to the breakdown of organic material,
and the best way to prevent this is through
regular partial water changes.
It is not healthy for aquarium tanks to have
water with either acidic or alkaline water,
rather, aquariums tanks should aim to
achieve as close to a pH measure of 7, which
is neither acidic or alkaline and therefore
balanced (Monalisa 2020). Marine animals
become stressed or die when exposed to pH
extremes or when pH changes rapidly even if
the change occurs within the pH range that
is normally tolerated. (Banrie, 2013). If the
pH level is too low or too high, it can make
fish sick, even kill them.
A low pH means that the water is acidic;
a high pH means that the water is
alkaline (Alexis Rohlin, 2018). 7.0 is
considered neutral. Most freshwater
aquarium tropical fish do best at a pH of
6.8 to 7.6, although certain fish may
require higher or lower levels. The pH of
an aquarium tends to drop over time due
to the breakdown of organic material,
and the best way to prevent this is
through regular partial water changes.
It is not healthy for aquarium tanks to have
water with either acidic or alkaline water,
rather, aquariums tanks should aim to
achieve as close to a pH measure of 7,
which is neither acidic or alkaline and
therefore balanced (Monalisa 2020). Marine
animals become stressed or die when
exposed to pH extremes or when pH
changes rapidly even if the change occurs
within the pH range that is normally
tolerated. (Banrie, 2013).
 In recent years, ornamental fishes are
receiving increased attention due to the local
and global demand and the consequent growth
of the export market and trade. The current
status and challenges for the development of
ornamental fish culture in fresh water and wild
collection of marine ornamental species for
future prospects are outlined. Indigenous
ornamental fishes which are available in the
rivers can be easily collected from the wild
resources to be cultured and reared in the
aquarium (Selvaraju, 2014).
 Statement of the Problem
The main purpose of this study is to know if there is
a significant difference of pH level before and after the
treatment. Specifically, it attempts to answer the
following:
1. What is the pH of water before and after the
treatment using talisay leaves extract in terms of the
following concentrations:
a. 25%
b. 30%
c. 40%?
2. Is there a significant difference of pH of water before
and after the treatment of talisay leaves in different
concentrations?
 Null Hypothesis
Hypothesis:

1. There is no significant difference

on the pH of water before and after
the treatment of talisay leaves in
different concentrations?
Figure 3.Flowchart Diagram of the Study
Collection of the
Materials

Collection of
Water Sample

Application of T.
catappa extract

Data Gathering
and Analysis
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the data gathered in
the experiment conducted including its
interpretation and analysis. Results in tabular
form are also displayed in this chapter as
well as its corresponding graphs for more
comprehensive presentation.
 This study is about Talisay leaf extract as a
pH correctant of water in an aquarium. The
concentration of talisay leaves extract was
tested in three trials to find the mean of both
the control group and the experimental group.
The extraction procedure was done following
the method described by Chansue &
Assawawongkasem (2010). The extracts were
prepared at concentration 10%-25%,25%-
30%,30%-40%. Hence 25%,30% and 40% are found
to be the level of concentrations needed to
primarily gain a more preferable result which is
based on the experimental.
 The concentration of talisay
leaves extract was determined in
three different concentrations; 25%;
30%; and 40%. The statistical tools
that will be used by the proponents
for the data analysis of the study
are the mean and ONE-factor
ANOVA. This will help determine the
average and significant difference
between the two groups.
 Statistical analysis
The concentration of talisay leaves
extract was tested in three trials and
three different concentrations:25%;
30%; and 40%.
Table 2. Table depicting the pH level before and
after the treatment with the three concentration
pH level

Trial (pH) (pH)

Before After

CONCENTRATION OF TALISAY LEAVES EXTRACT

CONTROL 25% 30% 40%

1 8.9 7.3 7.0 6.7

2 8.9 7.4 7.0 6.6

3 8.9 7.4 7.0 6.7

       
Mean 8.9 7.3 7.0 6.6
 The table above shows the different level
of pH before and after each various
concentration, 25%, 30% and 40% using pH
meter tester with 3 consecutive trials. All 3
separators in the experiment have equal sizes
and filled with different amount of stock
water and talisay leaves extract according to
its desired concentration. The stock water
with different concentration made from
talisay leaves extract is compared and
evaluated to come up with what
concentration is effective pH correctant for
an aquarium.
 Among the three (3) concentration
presented, the 30% concentration of Talisay
leaves extract got the exact standard of pH
level needed for an aquarium which is 7.
According to Monalisa (2020) It is not healthy
for aquarium tanks to have water with either
acidic or alkaline water, rather, aquariums
tanks should aim to achieve as close to a pH
measure of 7, which is neither acidic or
alkaline and therefore balanced. Meanwhile,
40% concentration trial 2 obtained 6.6 pH
level which serves as the lowest of all trial
conducted by the researcher.
Figure 4. Graphical Representation Of pH level in
different concentrations
Concentration
7.6

7.4

7.2

6.8

6.6

6.4

6.2

6
25% 30% 40%

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

 The graph above Illustrate the result of
the experiment of effectiveness of talisay
leaves extract as pH correctant. There is
no significant difference on the pH of
water before and after the treatment of
Talisay leaves in different concentration.
Among The three concentration, 40% is
the higher, and it shows that the higher
concentration the lower its pH level.
Table 3. Statistical Treatment: One-way Way ANOVA
using Different Concentrations
ANOVA

Source of
Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit

Rows 0.005 3 0.001667 1 0.43629 3.862548

Columns 11.74 3 3.913333 2348 2.45E-13 3.862548

Error 0.015 9 0.001667

Total 11.76 15        
 F-value: 680.666>4.06618

With the use of Microsoft Excel, the

significant difference was computed. The
f value is 680.666 while the f crit value is
4.06618 Since f value > f crit, there is a
need to reject the null hypothesis.
 This study is about Talisay leaf extract as a pH
correctant of water in an aquarium. The
concentration of talisay leaves extract was
tested in three trials to find the mean of both
the control group and the experimental group.
The extraction procedure was done following
the method described by Chansue &
Assawawongkasem (2010). The extracts were
prepared at concentration 10%-25%,25%-
30%,30%-40%. Hence 25%,30% and 40% are found
to be the level of concentrations needed to
primarily gain a more preferable result which is
based on the experimental.
 Conclusion
Based from the data gathered and its
analyzation, the researchers concluded
that there is a significant difference in the
pH level before and after the treatment
using talisay leaves most specifically with
a pH level of 7. Therefore, the researchers
successfully reject the null hypothesis.
THANK
YOU!