Leaves in tank ?

[thuctoanvietnamese]

I'm about to have a new tank.I want it to have a yellow-ísh water color so I'm thinking about what kind of leaf should i put in ?And any plants suggestion ?

 

[mbsqw1d]

I'm about to have a new tank.I want it to have a yellow-ísh water color so I'm thinking about what kind of leaf should i put in ?And any plants suggestion ?

Some great reading to be had on here (warning theres some swearing/cussing)

The Tint

tanninaquatics.com

The usual tanning ingredients are:
Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) leaves
Terminalia catappa bark
Alder cones

(Dried) Oak leaves also make for good leaf litter.

You can also buy bottles of botanicals to add to the water.

You can also use rooibos / red bush tea

 

[FishGuest5123]

mbsqw1d gave some great info.

 

[thuctoanvietnamese]

Some great reading to be had on here

The Tint

tanninaquatics.com

The usual tanning ingredients are:
Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) leaves
Terminalia catappa bark
Alder cones

(Dried) Oak leaves also make for good leaf litter.

You can also buy bottles of botanicals to add to the water.

You can also use rooibos / ted bush tea

Is there any harm if i overuse these ?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Yep, I concur with mbsqw1d. I've used poplar leaves in a pinch and they didn't hurt anything, but they don't really add many tanins.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Is there any harm if i overuse these ?

Can depend on a few things. The GH and KH of your water - tannins are acidic and so will lower the PH. If your GH/KH are low, then your PH could drop quite low. So if you are keeping fish that prefer soft acidic water, then that's ideal - Chocolate Gourami for example.
All of these organics slowly degrade and produce nitrogen and so be sure to keep an eye on nitrogen levels and perform water changes as required.

 

[thuctoanvietnamese]

Can depend on a few things. The GH and KH of your water - tannins are acidic and so will lower the PH. If your GH/KH are low, then your PH could drop quite low. So if you are keeping fish that prefer soft acidic water, then that's ideal - Chocolate Gourami for example.
All of these organics slowly degrade and produce nitrogen and so be sure to keep an eye on nitrogen levels and perform water changes as required.

Can I boil leaves than pour the water into the tank ?

 

[mbsqw1d]

Can I boil leaves than pour the water into the tank ?

Yep. If you're just after staining the water i'd say using rooibos is your best bet. Just brew a couple of tea bags, wait for it to cool then pour in

 

[CassCats]

Rooibos tea would give you the best tannins without the leaves, and rooibos won't play around with your parameters either.