Leaves - oak etc

[Griz]

The thread about almond leaves got me to thinking. Are there other leaves that would tend to lower pH besides these two? I use small oak leaves and although they don't seem to have much effect on my pH, I like the way they look, they last quite a while, and my apistos and other fish seem to enjoy them. What other options are there, and are there any that should be avoided? Seems to me I read somewhere that beech leaves work well.

 

[scott]

i've never used any leaves but would possibly like to give it a try. can i just get oak leaves from my back yard? do i have to prepare them in any special way before adding them to the tank?

 

[cdawson]

Maple leaves should be avoided I believe, I've never actually used oak leaves. I'm very skeptical as most oak trees in my city are next to major road ways and I would wary of any chemicals the leaves/trees would have absorbed from the soil.

 

[Griz]

Maple leaves break down pretty quickly, so that alone would be a reason not to use them. Oak seems to last quite a while. I'm looking for durable leaves that won't have a negative effect on the water/fish. I don't want to experiment on my own, only to discover that birch leaves (for example) are toxic.

I live in southern Ontario in what is known as the Carolinian zone so there is quite a wide variety of trees here. Everything from paper birch and aspen to shagbark hickory and magnolia.

 

[Griz]

i've never used any leaves but would possibly like to give it a try. can i just get oak leaves from my back yard? do i have to prepare them in any special way before adding them to the tank?

As cdawson stated, you should be wary of where the leaves come from and how exposed they are to toxins. That said, I put mine into a strainer and pour a couple kettles of boiling water over them. Then it's straight into the tank. A few may take a day to sink but boiling seems to help with that.

 

[farm41]

Oak and other leaves have been discussed on the forum quite a bit, try using the search feature for more discussions on them.

 

[Griz]

thanks

 

[cootwarm]

benefits of oak leaves

I use oak leaves in most of my apisto tanks. This is mostly for their comfort (like provide them with a more natural habitat). I don't think they have much effect on lowering pH by themselves, but they may contribute a little when used with something else, like peat water or R/O water. I've never tried it, but oak leaves might have a small effect on lowering pH of R/O water that has little or no KH hardness.

Oak leaves might release tannic(sp?) acid and therefore stimulate some apistos to spawn, but this is only speculation. I've got cacatuoides that don't usually spawn until I do a 5% or 10% water change using peat water. This small amount of peat water has almost no effect on the pH, but it stains the water very slightly and seems to excite the cacs.

But like I said before, my main reason for using oak leaves is to provide additional 'cover' in my apisto tanks. I usually make 1 to 3 piles of leaves in the tanks instead of scattering them over the bottom. I've found that Apistogrammas love to swim in and out of the piles of leaves. I think they even enhance the look of a natural aquascape with a couple piles of oak leaves placed strategicly amoung the plants and driftwood. I even used them to 'camouflage' a couple coconut shell caves.

Also, if you keep the leaves in the kettle you boiled them in until the water cools, the leaves will sink. My leaves are usually in good shape for about 3 or 4 months, although oto cats will reduce this time slightly, they will bearly last a month with plecos. In my tanks without plecos, I often leave them in my tanks for about 6 months. At this point the leaves are still in one piece, but fall apart when removed. At this point, I usually remove them with a dip net.

Michael

 

[cdawson]

Thanks cootwarm, very informative. That helped alot.

 

[scott]

here in RI in january all leaves are brown. there are some oake trees in a patch of woods near my home. the trees still have dead leves on some branches. would these leaves be ok to use or should i wait til new leaves grow in the spring. the trees are about 1/4 mile from any roads so they are probably free from any automotive pollutants i would assume. forgive my ignorance on this, ive never used leaves before but i would like to give my fish the most natural environment as possible.

 

[depthc]

Id say go picking up some leaves. When you buy them off other people they are browned and this when you want to get them. Pick a few handfuls up and boil them. They should work great.

 

[scott]

thank you for the info. that's what i'll do!

 

[boyohboy]

I'm using both oak leaves and almond leaves in my tanks... can't really say if it's successful or not yet tho as I just start stocking the tanks with fish heh

Almond leaves I bought from a fish store for $3.99 a bag...
Oak leaves I picked a big bag from a provicial park back in the fall while camping... that's about as clean as you can get I think heh. And yeah the oak leaves don't affect the pH much if at all.