Leaf litter - for a hard water tank

[Wills]

Hi everyone

I've noticed a trend recently to add in leaf litter with seed pods and palm fronds etc. I really like the natural look but I need for it not to affect my water hardness or my ph due to the fish I am keeping.

I have a very high kh reading in my water so it should be quite hard to change but all I can find is leaves, seed pods etc that are specific to changing your water. I've read that there are some leaves that wont effect your water too much but I cant find them for sale.

Can anyone help me with what sort of options I would have? And does anyone know where I can buy them from.

I dont really want to go collecting them as I live in a city and it would be hard to find any non-poluted/fouled sources.

thanks Wills

 

[Ch4rlie]

The only leaves I can think of are catappa leaves.

Though these do tend to have some effect on lowering ph but a lot is required to lower ph if you have a high buffer of high kh level.

Have heard folks using alder cones as part of making the leaf litter look more naturally as well.

Sorry can’t think of much more to add right now.

Unsure if other leaves such as oak tree leaves for example are safe to use in aquariums tbh.

 

[seangee]

Oak leaves are ok and so (I believe) are mulberry leaves. Never actually used them because when they fell off the trees in autumn I still had nitrate problems so really didn't want to add rotting leaves to the mix .

The oak leaves are the bane of my life in the garden pond, despite the butterfly net, but they have never managed to affect the pH. My KH is >20 deg and I am unable to change water in the pond over winter. I do use oak twigs (with bark on) in the aquarium and never had it affect pH - but I do change the water regularly indoors

 

[Wills]

This is one of the companies I have seen it is based in the US but there is a UK company called blackwater uk that are selling similar stuff. https://tanninaquatics.com/

I've seen all sorts of stuff being done and it looks great and some of the stuff I have read explains how dead leaves dont add to the bio load really as all of the sugars has gone before the leaf falls from the tree. I'm just repeating here without actually understanding though so happy to be proved wrong...

Wills

 

[Colin_T]

what sort of fish do you keep?

If you have hard alkaline water with rift lake cichlids they do not normally have leaves or tannins in the water.

As stated by Ch4rlie, if you have a high KH, the pH is unlikely to drop due to some rotting plant matter in the tank.

I had European Oak leaves in my daphnia ponds and they were fine.
Generally most plant leaves are fine besides known poisonous plants and plants that produce sap when you take a leaf off. Avoid the sappy ones and known toxic/ poisonous ones.

 

[Wills]

I've got a Central American community

7 Cryptoheros Nanoluteus
6 Mexican Mollies - 2m 4f
3 Montazuma Swordtails - 1m2f
2 Flagtail Catfish (long term tank residents, were part of a bigger school)
2 Annostomus Ternetzi (same as flagtails)

My ph is around 7.1 and my kh and gh are around 19/20

Ideally I dont want massive tannins, or for it to effect my water. I have found a few articles to say this is possible with certain types of leaves and materials but I dont know where to get them from.

Wills

 

[seangee]

Can't help on the where to buy question as it may be difficult to tell if they have used chemicals to process unless its specifically for aquaria. I have seen catappa on amazon and ebay.

If you are looking for a source of tannin you could try rooibos teabags. Should have them in your local supermarket. Don't bother with the high priced organic tags, the plant is so sensitive it can only be grown organically. I just boil up the right number of bags on the morning of a WC and add with the fresh water, so I have full control of how dark it goes.

 

[Colin_T]

If you do find the plant leaves you want, you could contact a few nurseries/ garden centres and get them to order the plant. Then grow it in your backyard and take leaves as you need or want. You could even bag them up to sell online

 

[seangee]

Then grow it in your backyard and take leaves as you need or want. You could even bag them up to sell online

Judging by the prices on Blackwater UK that sound like a very good idea. £10 per ounce.