Ground cover

[Pellegrino]

Ground cover what kind of leaf litter and where can I purchase it I am in New Jersey what kind is recommended I have cockatoos in one tank

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Ground cover what kind of leaf litter and where can I purchase it I am in New Jersey what kind is recommended I have cockatoos in one tank

You can buy "Indian Almond" (Terminalia catappa) and Magnolia grandiflora leaves. They sell the Magnolia leaves for Dart Frog Vivaria.

You may be able to find your own Oak (Quercus) leaves, as far as I know all Oaks are OK.

cheers Darrel

 

[Phil O'Sofical]

Hi, I'd not previously heard of using Magnolia Grandiflora leaves in a tank but I'm really interested as I have a mature specimen in my garden. Are they absolutely safe to use and does anyone know what effect they have on the water chemistry?

Thanks.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Hi, I'd not previously heard of using Magnolia Grandiflora leaves in a tank but I'm really interested as I have a mature specimen in my garden. Are they absolutely safe to use and does anyone know what effect they have on the water chemistry.

I've used them for about 6 years without any problem, always dead fallen leaves from underneath the tree. They add a bit of tint to the water, but not as much as Oak leaves or Alder cones. I have water with some buffering so they don't have much effect on pH for me.

I got the idea because they used them for Dart Frogs, and that made me think that they must be OK to use for fish.

This is what Colin Dunlop said in the questions section of "All the leaves are brown".

...I also have an interest in Dendrobatid frogs and Magnolia leaves are very commonly used in vivaria/terraria housing these delicate little amphibians. They are useful because the leaves are large enough to hold small amounts of water where the frogs may place eggs/tadpoles for a while.

Many of the best dart frog terraria have a system where the water is constantly moving through a waterfall, over some of the substrate and back into a reservoir, so the water will pass over the leaves on a regular basis.

I have never used the leaves personally but “dart frog friends” do and if they were toxic then sensitive dendrobates and their tadpoles would not survive in water stained by them.

They are a tough leaf and I’d imagine that they would take a long time to break down in the water.

cheers Darrel

 

[Hugo_Abreu]

I use magnolia leaves too and they're good. In my opinion, some of the best available. Their shape is "tropical", round and big, like the leaves of south American trees. They're safe, stain the water with tannins (good) and take a few weeks/months to decompose. Always use dead ones.

 

[gerald]

Magnolia grandiflora leaves do tend to leach out more scum-forming organics and oils initially than oaks do, so I usually soak them for a few days in a container before using them in fish tanks. Most of them have rolled edges which makes them good for hiding & spawning caves.

 

[Phil O'Sofical]

Thanks for the advice all!

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Linus_Cello]

Our fish club is doing a group buy from below. They sell other vegetation to produce tannins. You may want to try some other leaves (as for magnolia parts, they appear only to sell the cones).
http://tanninaquatics.com/

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Our fish club is doing a group buy from below. They sell other vegetation to produce tannins. You may want to try some other leaves (as for magnolia parts, they appear only to sell the cones).
http://tanninaquatics.com/

Thanks for this, it is an interesting web site. I see they sell Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) leaves. <"I used these for a while">, but I collected enough Magnolia leaves to last a lifetime, so I haven't used them recently.

cheers Darrel

 

[gerald]

Wow ... if anybody wants to pay me $1.50 each for magnolia "cones" and $4 per ounce for hickory nut shells and honey locust pods, i'd be glad to oblige. Expertly packaged with good vibes, vision, feel, and inspiration too, as Mr. Fellman does. |;>) His website does have some interesting ideas for using plant parts I have not tried in aquariums.

Our fish club is doing a group buy from below. They sell other vegetation to produce tannins. You may want to try some other leaves (as for magnolia parts, they appear only to sell the cones).
http://tanninaquatics.com/

 

[Pellegrino]

Wow ... if anybody wants to pay me $1.50 each for magnolia "cones" and $4 per ounce for hickory nut shells and honey locust pods, i'd be glad to oblige. Expertly packaged with good vibes, vision, feel, and inspiration too, as Mr. Fellman does. |;>) His website does have some interesting ideas for using plant parts I have not tried in aquariums.

Where are you located how much is shipping I will definitely buy some

 

[themountain]

I have a Catappa tree right in front of my building...after they flowered there are like 1000 dry leaves on the ground...if anybody is interested give me a call

 

[Pellegrino]

I have a Catappa tree right in front of my building...after they flowered there are like 1000 dry leaves on the ground...if anybody is interested give me a call

I am totally interested in leaves I have no problem giving you money and shipping please get back to me

 

[gerald]

Where are you located how much is shipping I will definitely buy some

I posted that as a semi-joke because I thought "tanninaquatics" botanic products seemed a bit pricey, but seriously i could pack you up a box of the same or similar tannin-rich plant parts from my area (North Carolina): Magnolia grandiflora pods and leaves, Post oak & Southern red oak leaves (my favorite oaks for fish use), Oak acorn caps, Hickory nut shells ("Heart pods" on the TA site), Alder "cones", Crepe-myrtle pods (similar to "Pequeno pods" on TA site), Locust tree pods (similar to "Cobra leaf" on TA site), Redbud pods ("Helix pods" on TA site). Not sure if I can find all of those at this time of year, but I can fill up a small box (~ 10 x 7 x 6 inches) with a mix of these items for $30. including Priority Mail shipping. You're in New Jersey, right?

 

[Pellegrino]

I posted that as a semi-joke because I thought "tanninaquatics" botanic products seemed a bit pricey, but seriously i could pack you up a box of the same or similar tannin-rich plant parts from my area (North Carolina): Magnolia grandiflora pods and leaves, Post oak & Southern red oak leaves (my favorite oaks for fish use), Oak acorn caps, Hickory nut shells ("Heart pods" on the TA site), Alder "cones", Crepe-myrtle pods (similar to "Pequeno pods" on TA site), Locust tree pods (similar to "Cobra leaf" on TA site), Redbud pods ("Helix pods" on TA site). Not sure if I can find all of those at this time of year, but I can fill up a small box (~ 10 x 7 x 6 inches) with a mix of these items for $30. including Priority Mail shipping. You're in New Jersey, right?

Yes I'm in North Jersey what every type of leaves you use for the bottom of your plant tank I have one tank with cacotoides and then another tank with a Agassi zzzz what type of fish do you have and what size tank

 

[gerald]

I use mainly post oak and southern red oak leaves for tannins and habitat structure, sometimes magnolia. Also use maple, ash, and other softer leaves as food for shrimp, snails, scuds, rotifers, worms, and grazing fish. I have about 25 tanks, mostly 10 to 30 gal, a couple larger, with small cichlids (S. Amer, west African, Tanganyikan), native minnows and darters, sunfish, tetras, killies, gobies, anabantoids, ...

 

[Pellegrino]

I use mainly post oak and southern red oak leaves for tannins and habitat structure, sometimes magnolia. Also use maple, ash, and other softer leaves as food for shrimp, snails, scuds, rotifers, worms, and grazing fish. I have about 25 tanks, mostly 10 to 30 gal, a couple larger, with small cichlids (S. Amer, west African, Tanganyikan), native minnows and darters, sunfish, tetras, killies, gobies, anabantoids, ...