Oak Leaves

[Hassles]

Has anyone used Oak Leaves in thier Apisto tanks to lower PH ?

I have done a little net research into the use of Oak leaves and these apparently lower PH. As I have a large Oak tree in my back yard I have gathered up a handful and placed these into a jar of my PH neutral tap water. Il'll check the paramaters in a few days time.

 

[bigbird]

Hello Hassles,

Yes they do and are ideal for apistos.
Soak them and use as a basae above the substrate.
Please note you should ideally use dried out oak leaves as they have released all of the " nasties " when they are dry.
cheers jk :biggrin:

 

[aprildawn]

Hello Hassles,

Yes they do and are ideal for apistos.
Soak them and use as a basae above the substrate.
Please note you should ideally use dried out oak leaves as they have released all of the " nasties " when they are dry.
cheers jk :biggrin:

I am thinking about using oak leaves when i set up my tank too. How long do they last? Is is difficult to clean the tank with them?

 

[Mike Wise]

My experience is that oak leaves last longer than Indian Almond leaves. It is best to keep them only in one part of the aquarium (if possible).

 

[gerald]

Depends on your concept of "clean the tank". If fragments of leaf litter/mulm on your pearly white sand bothers you, then yes it's "difficult". But if you do the natural swamp theory of "aquascaping" with twigs and leaf litter all over the bottom, and if you change water without feeling compelled to vacuum out all the "dirt", then leaves are no problem. Apistos don't mind this kind of "dirt" at all -- they love it.

Is is difficult to clean the tank with them?

 

[aprildawn]

The 'natural' look doesn't bother me. I also like the look of subdued light with spots of bright light like light peeking through the trees. Just need to get my hubby going on making me a stand so that I can start my tank. The stand is not at the top of the 'honey-do' list however.

 

[Mike Wise]

Just get out his tools and start messing them up. He'll get the hint!

My wonderful wife did this to me many decades ago. We decided to buy a wood burning fireplace insert for our fireplace. The problem? Insert and fireplace were different dimensions; we would have to rebuild the fire box. Like your loving hubby, I kind of 'blew it off' until one evening I came home from work to find no fireplace, just a pile of bricks in the middle of the living room. It quickly went to the top of the 'honey-do' list.

 

[aarhud]

Lol Mike.

Gerald,
I like the look your talking about, but does it have any impact on water quality? I collected a ton of oak leaves and oak branches, plan on trying that setup.

 

[gerald]

If you plan to add a lot of leaves & sticks, soak them several days in a bucket before adding to fish tank so that any fast-decaying stuff can "burn" out and not cause low O2, ammonia spike, or stinky smell. If adding just a few at a time then pre-soak is not crucial.

 

[aprildawn]

If you plan to add a lot of leaves & sticks, soak them several days in a bucket before adding to fish tank so that any fast-decaying stuff can "burn" out and not cause low O2, ammonia spike, or stinky smell. If adding just a few at a time then pre-soak is not crucial.

Sounds good to me. thanks

 

[Konigwolf]

How do the leaves affect planted tanks? do you need to keep them away from rooted plants or OK to have a small build up around them?

 

[gerald]

Tree leaves wont harm your plants, unless of course they're buried under leaves !

 

[Garret]

Just jumping in here but would sycamore leaves be suitable?

 

[Mike Wise]

I'm not sure, but my guess is not as good as oak (more like maple). I suggest that when the leaves fall that you collect some, soak them overnight and test the pH. You might want to even test the sycamore balls (bet the fuzzy things disintegrate).

 

[Joe]

Is is necessary to boild oak leaves (to kill any bacteria and bugs on them) before adding them to the tank? I've always done this with mine but I read somewhere that boiling isn't needed and they can just be dumped straight into the tank. I'm confused.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I read somewhere that boiling isn't needed and they can just be dumped straight into the tank

It isn't and they can.

cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Personally I just wet the leaves and then sterilize them by putting them in the microwave for a minute on 'high'. It's never a good idea to run a microwave oven dry.

 

[Lisachromis]

Ok, since common names are not the best way to ID anything, I was wondering if these oaks are good to use in the aquarium.
Quercus rubra - Red Oak, Quercus alba - White Oak, Quercus acrocarpa - Bur Oak

Someone mentioned that they can be poisonous to dogs.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Yes, the Americas have all the different Oak species, we've got a very reduced number in the old world. I'm not sure about the other 2, but we have Quercus rubra (Red Oak) planted a bit in the UK for forestry, and its leaves are excellent, it also grows mainly on acid soils.

Someone mentioned that they can be poisonous to dogs.

I think that Oaks and acorns are stuffed full of toxic and unpalatable compounds, because they want to deter grazing or having their fruit eaten by the "wrong" animal. It is these phenolic and tannic compounds that make them good for the aquarium in smaller amounts.

cheers Darrel

 

[gerald]

Just to be safe, don't put dogs in a tank with Apistos and oak leaves. They don't get along very well anyway.