Pygmy Guava Leaves | Psidium cattleianum
Product Description: Strawberry Guava Leaves (Psidium cattleianum) are a small and beautiful addition to botanical method aquariums and bioactive enclosures. Known for their smooth, glossy leaves, these botanicals help build a more dynamic leaf litter bed while also providing functional benefits to the botanical method aquarium or vivarium ecosystem.
The Strawberry Guava tree, native to Brazil’s Amazon Basin, is an evergreen species in the Myrtaceae family. It thrives in tropical rainforests and mesic environments up to 1300 meters in elevation. This highly adaptable species has become naturalized in tropical regions worldwide, often praised for its ornamental appeal and sweet, edible fruits. The leaves of this tree, with their elliptical shape and rich green tones, are harvested sustainably to ensure quality and environmental responsibility.
In botanical method aquariums, Strawberry Guava leaves release medium levels of yellow tannins - just like their cousin the Psidium guajava, gently tinting the water while supporting biofilm growth. These biofilms provide grazing surfaces for shrimp, snails, other detritivores and rasping fishes, promoting a balanced ecosystem. Their structure also serves as a substrate for microbial colonization, enhancing nutrient cycling within your aquarium.
In bioactive enclosures, the leaves break down gradually, offering a long-term food source for isopods, springtails, and other clean-up crew members. Their durable structure creates hiding spaces and foraging grounds for reptiles, amphibians, and small invertebrates..
Not for Human Consumption. Preparation Required.
Quantities: 25 Psidium cattleianum Leaves. Sizes range. This is a natural product, and variation between leaves and botanicals is expected.
Aquarium Botanical Location: USA.
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.