SunGrow Alder Cones for Shrimps, Water Conditioner for Freshwater Shrimp Tanks, Aquarium Decorations & Accessories (100 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’ve kept several species of aquatic fauna over the years as well as crustaceans such as amanos, neocaridini, crayfish, as well as a plethora of freshwater fish.I bought these alder cones for my new Amazon Puffers. In nature, they live in the Amazon river (crazy right) and are accustomed to very tannin rich water. This is due to plant matter falling into the water from the jungle. As you probably know by now, this reduces the pH of the water making it slightly acidic. Tannins also tend to darken the water. Without these things my Amazon puffers were stressed out, glass surfing and swimming erratically.I added these alder cones and within minutes my tank is as dark as the Amazon river. These things release the most tannins I’ve ever seen from anything. I’ve used mopani wood, almond leaves, and they PALE in comparison to what these alder cones can do.If you don’t want tannins, look somewhere else. However if you DO want tannins, and all their beautiful positive health benefits, then buy these. Use a few at a time if you’re new to it. I did and now I have some very happy river wolves.P.S. my tank smells like delicious tea :)Also, to the negative reviewers that complain that the cones made their water dark: yeah, they’re supposed to do that. Do your research silly.

As per instruction I put 1 cone in for each gallon. The next morning both tanks where almost black in color. Not too big of an issue but if that's not what you are going for then I'd definitely only add a few and work your way up. Shrimp seem to love these, there were small and big, individuals and bunches. So great value for money and quality! They look great, easy to use, and great for maintaining tannins in the water which is good for fish health.

The package recommends one cone per gallon. I put just three in each of my 10 gallon tanks after a good rinsing. The next morning, I thought my lights had gone out. Each tank was darker than the black tea I drink. I had to get a high-intensity flashlight to even find the cones to take them out. Of course, some tannins are to be expected and even desired, but this is criminal. Now I'm hoping the series of water changes needed to get rid of this crap don't kill my shrimp. This is my first outiing with Alder cones, so I don't know if they are all like this or not, but these are definitely to be avoided. I shudder to think of what would have happened if I followed their directions.

***UPDATE***I purchased a piece of driftwood shortly after these cones and the driftwood came with instructions on how to remove the tannins, so I figured I'd process the cones as well.In a 12 quart pot; I boiled the cones in a few quarts of water for 4 hours replacing the water every hour. After that I soaked the cones for 48 hours in 12 quarts of water replacing the water after the first 24 hours.I put one cone in a jar of water to see if any tannins would be released. I'm happy to say that after 48 hours the water in the jar has no noticeable tannins. Even if it's releasing some it wouldn't be enough to tint my 15g tank especially with weekly water changes.Supposedly the boiling process will go quicker if you add salt to the water, but I didn't want to risk it since I have a fresh water tank.***Previous review***These little cones are super cute and will add a lot of ambiance to your aquarium. The downside is that it will add a lot of tannins as well. I boiled two cones for 1.5 hours swapping out the water every 30 mins. Last batch of water was still brown. I then soaked them in a jar for an additional 24 hours. Water is pretty brown.If you're going for a black water effect then these are spot on. I'm not going for that look though, so I'll just let my wife use these for decoration or something. Giving them 5 stars because for their intended use these are great. Just not great for my use which is not on the seller or product. Buyer be informed.