adding leaves

[Mikey]

Just wondering about adding last years fallen oak leaves to the tank, and want to know if i should boil them first, and if they drop the hardness and pH, or are they just for looks? Thanks.

 

[DH247]

There's been quite a bit of dicussion on this so far. Do a search for 'oak leaves' and you should find all you want to know. In short, you can use them, and it is advisable to boil them first. Good luck!

 

[bigbird]

Morning,

Yes you can use them. I have them in all of my tanks. Instead of boiling though, which I believe make them softer, I just place them in a bucket, add the water conditioner and also a mutliple medical treatment to sterilise them. I let them sit in the bucket for 7 days, then rinse and use. This would be another option.
Have a good day cheers jk :biggrin:

 

[beleg]

If you boil them all the tanin will leech to the boling water. You rather want it inside your aquarium water. Make sure you collect the leaves from a place which is pollution free and all should be fine after just washing them under tap water

 

[ste12000]

I simply boil them in a bucket of hot water for an hour or two until they sink..Then add them to my tanks, the Apistogramma species love to hide under them.

 

[ed seeley]

When I've used them with shrimp I just rinsed the leaves to remove debris and added them to the tank. They soaked up the water and sank overnight.

 

[viejo]

I've never done anything but rinse them well as 'ed seeley' describes & have never had a problem...

 

[Microman]

Yes no problem at all just adding them to the tank... I too feel that boiling the leaves is unnecessary and as Beleg says you want the tannic acids leaching into your aquaria rather than the pot.
I do however have oak leaves and alder cones soaking at all times and use the oak/alder extract to add tannic and humine acids into my aquaria for species that require extremely acidic/blackwater conditions.
Mark...