Monkey Pods | Lecythis pisonis
Product Description: Monkey Pods grow on the tree, Lecythis pisonis, as the outer casing of the Brazil Nut found in South America. The Monkey Pot is one of the most popular aquarium botanicals we see and we honestly can't keep up with the demand for them. They provide territories in the aquarium, and terrarium enthusiasts love them as well for their bioactive enclosures. Shrimp, snails, and suckermouth catfish love to eat the biofilms they help cultivate, and their high amount of selenium provides vital elements to the aquarium ecosystem. Their hard and durable woody exterior allows them to last a long time in the home aquarium, literally 5-10 years of use!
Not for Human Consumption. Preparation Required.
Quantities: 1c Monkey Pod: 2"-5" Wide and 2"-4" tall. 4c Monkey Pod: An even mix of all sizes. This is a natural product, and variation between leaves and botanicals is expected.
Aquarium Botanical Location: Brazil, South America.
Home is getting a bit more natural
While the aesthetic appeal of botanicals and tinted water can be quite attractive to us, the recreation of nature to emulate water conditions, feeding patterns, spawning displays, and territory building are the true benefits botanicals provide to our critters.
Botanical FAQs
Compostable Packaging Promise
Our packaging is designed to return safely to the Earth, just like the botanicals inside. Every bag is BPA- and Phthalate-free, GMO-free, and contains no animal products. Each meets ASTM D6400 composting standards, ensuring it can fully break down in a home compost bin.
What are the Fluffy White Growths on my Botanicals?
That’s biofilm and fungi—what we call the “goo phase.” It’s one of the clearest signs that your aquarium is alive and functioning. These growths wax and wane naturally as botanicals decompose. They’re harmless, even beneficial, and will disappear on their own once microbial populations stabilize.
Will botanicals lower the pH of my water?
That depends entirely on your source water. In very soft or RODI water, botanicals can gradually lower pH as tannins and humic substances accumulate. In medium to hard tap water, buffering capacity often resists these shifts, and you may not notice much change. At Betta Botanicals HQ, our very hard water (350+ ppm) shows almost no pH change unless we use botanicals like Alder Cones or Macaranga Leaves.
When should I replace leaves or pods in my tank?
We recommend allowing botanicals to fully break down into detritus, since this fuels microbial life and enriches the substrate. You can remove them once they stop tinting the water, but you’ll lose some of their ecological benefits. Each time you add new botanicals, follow proper preparation and observe your livestock until you learn your aquarium’s rhythm.
Are your products just for bettas?
Nope. Our botanicals are safe for almost all aquariums, terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums. The only exceptions are goldfish and axolotls, which may ingest small pods like alder cones or casuarina cones. For those species, we recommend large leaves such as Indian Almond, Loquat, or Jackfruit.
What are Tannins?
Tannins are natural compounds released by leaves, seed pods, and bark as they decompose in water. They soften water, gently lower pH, and create the characteristic tea-stained tint found in blackwater habitats. But their role goes far beyond color—tannins fuel beneficial bacteria, fungi, and biofilms, which form the foundation of a healthy ecosystem. They also offer mild antifungal benefits and help reduce stress in fish by replicating the natural conditions they’ve evolved in. At their core, tannins are plant-derived antioxidants that connect your aquarium to the same processes at work in wild flooded forests and streams.
Customer Reviews
I trust that they will be a good enrichment item and hiding place for the fishes I take care of, but a word of advice: I learned that they needed a second period of being in boiling water after the general botanical prep instructions on this site were followed.
Followed those steps and after waterlogging them in covered dechlorinated water for a few days, there was definitely a lot of something fungal or bacterial growing in there in clusters of white spots on the surface of the water.
Not sure if it was harmful or beneficial, but because I can't know for sure and I want the animals to be safe and well, I boiled the pods a second time for longer and am soaking in dechlorinated water again. So far no growths. Will put them in very soon.
I think it's because the first 5 minute boil didn't go deep enough because the pods were were still floating and not fully waterlogged. Just a tip for any buyers.
Hey L.! Thank you so much for the review. The white growths you saw on your botanicals are what we call aquatic hyphomycetes and are very common in botanical method aquariums. They are consuming nutrients on the surface of the botanicals - they are actually present in all aquatic systems and just waiting on the right surface to colonize. They bloom, and then subside after a few days. Hope this helps as you reintroduce them to your ecosystems! Simply add them in and then wait for them to condition in the aquarium. -Ben
It's really a 5/5 product, I just want more of them :)). While I've only have gotten small sizes of these, they are honestly very very durable and hardy, they've survived many dry periods and innundations without so much as peeling or breaking apart that other pods go through. An upside-down one currently serves as the home for one of my CPO crayfish and I think it's safe to say that she loves it.
This is a cool looking botanical. It looks great in tannin-colored water. My betta has been checking it out.
