Oak or Almond Leaves?

[magpie]

I'm interested in adding some oak or almond leaves to my tank, more for the look and to keep the potential future dwarf cichlids happy. A bit of pH drop would be fine, but it's not my main goal, and don't necessarily want heavy tannins.

What are your experiences and which do you prefer, and why?
Are there others I've left out that you use?
How do you treat them before putting in the tank?

I've done a search on the forum but would like a little more insight.

Thanks!

 

[aquaticclarity]

I use oak leaves because I can readily collect them, I like the look (both red and white oak), they stain the water a light tea color (some leaves make the water much darker), and the pH drop isn't drastic unless you really load up the tank, have little to no buffering content to the water, and neglect water changes.

I just pick leaves and leaves with small branches, rinse them, and then put them in a bucket with very hot water. After they soak for 12-24 hours I pull the leaves out and use them. I even use the "rea" water left from soaking them in tanks were I really want a low pH and all of the extra tanins in the water.

I have used almond leaves but don't like the shape or color as much. They do give off a really nice brown color to the water though so I prefer to use the almond leaves in West African set-ups with some of the fish I have that come from very low pH (4.0) water that is heavily tanin stained.

 

[Mike Wise]

Which 'almond' leaves? Leaves from the almond (nut) tree or the tropical Indian Almond tree? The tropical are what people use. I find Oak leaves do not disintegrate as fast in water than Indian Almond.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Me? Catappa/Ketapang leaves

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I like Oak leaves, we have a limited range in the UK, but I've used all of Quercus cerris, Quercus robur, Quercus rubra & Quercus ilex successfully. At the moment I'm using Quercus x hispanica 'Luscombeana', it is semi-evergreen, I only have to walk about 50 meters to collect them, and it is just shedding its leaves.

I like evergreen Oaks for the persistence of the leaf in the tank, and I tend to use them (or Magnolia grandiflora) in combination with Alder "cones" to give the water tint I want. Leaf surfaces are very popular grazing sites for small fish and shrimps and I now routinely add then to all the tanks, even where they are heavily planted.

You can see a Q.rubra leaf in this photo (tank is in the back of the teaching lab and has Dicrossus maculatus and Copella arnoldi).



cheers Darrel

 

[magpie]

I really appreciate all the input. I'd love to see more photos of tanks with leaves in them. Dw- do you have a closer shot of your dicrossus tank?

We have a red oak in our yard... But the leaves are all fallen and wet ( I live in Portland, Oregon). So I need something to use until next fall.

 

[gerald]

Fallen wet leaves are exactly what you want. I rake my fallen leaves (willow oak, sand-laurel oak, chestnut oak, red maple, white ash, winged elm, redbay) into the shrubs against my house foundation and harvest from there all year. And across the street my neighbor has a Magnolia grandiflora when I need sturdy cave-quality leaves. Darrel I didnt know you could grow Mag. grand in the UK.

We have a red oak in our yard... But the leaves are all fallen and wet ( I live in Portland, Oregon). So I need something to use until next fall.

 

[magpie]

Oh fantastic! Thanks, you just saved me some money.