# Leaf litter



## Splak (May 1, 2013)

I want to try one tank with no plants and just a ton of leaf litter. 

This will be done on my 40g breeder.

I was wondering where it is safe to collect leaves for this? 

I assume a conservation area or something, but doesn't Ontario or Hamilton spray a pesticide from planes? Didn't this start recently, a few years ago? I have no idea if this is true or not, just recall hearing about it.

Thanks in advance


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

Great question. And I'll follow along.

For most that use leaf litter, oak leaves tend to be the favorite, I think because they last relatively well, and release tannins. 

Another option would be Indian almond leaves. Some people sell them on here even.

As for where to get dried leaves, I'm pretty sure the general consensus is to try to get leaves that are still on the tree, but dry, or if that's not possible, recently dropped. 

I've never heard of Toronto or anywhere doing a fly over spray. I'd love to hear more about this if in fact this is the case.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Oak trees don't drop their leaves like other deciduous trees. They turn brown and stick on the tree until blown off. Sometimes, some types will have the leaves all winter. Makes them easy to spot, when there is snow on the ground.


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## EdC (Mar 5, 2009)

I will be following along here too, because I am in Toronto, and definitely interested in collecting some oak leaves myself. Toronto is somewhat notorious for its ban on herbicidal and pesticidal lawn treatments, so that should help the situation here. I am not sure though, if there is any sort of aerial spraying for mosquitoes and the like, especially with fears of West Nile virus cropping up every year.

Would soaking leaves for several days, with a rinse and water change every day remove the majority of chemicals that might be a problem, or is the concern that they have been absorbed into the leaves?


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## Splak (May 1, 2013)

I would still be skeptical about using leaves even after that kind of treatment. Just cause you never know and fish are so vulnerable to these types of things.

I might collect some leave, boil them, then baked them in the oven for 30min on high heat then soak for 1-2 days in a bucket. I'll see how this works and hopefully I won't have any issues. 

Hopefully someone more knowledgable then myself on this kind of stuff posts soon


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## deepblue3 (Jan 11, 2014)

I use indian almond leaves, its a sure thing that they are beneficial and won't harm your fish/inverts.


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## EdC (Mar 5, 2009)

Wouldn't extensive boiling cause the leaves to break down faster, and potentially remove some of the nutrients?

As for Indian Almond leaves, how do we know they are actually safer, unless we know exactly where they were harvested?


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## deepblue3 (Jan 11, 2014)

For me, I've been using Indian almond leaves in my tanks for years without any issue. So I am comfortable using them. They are harvested and sunbaked in Thailand. I doubt they are spraying pesticides over their in the natural jungle habitat. My shrimp and fish have benefited greatly from them and so I continue to use them with no hesitation.

I would however be concerned with using local leaves, if someone is using them with sucess it would be great to hear where they collect their leaves, and method for prepping before use.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Ive used both IAL and Oak leaves in my tanks. I am currently using IAL in my marina box to help my newly hatched baby tiger shrimps make it through the next phase of molting.

The shrimps tend to eat the microbial stuff that grows on the leaves.

Oak leaves are best collected in the fall off trees in forested areas or trails.
You pick the ones still on the trees, not any on the ground. Just put them in
a bag and leave them in a dry area in your home. Can be fed to shrimps at
any given time once they are completely dried out. Don't add anything green
to a tank. Don't pick from an area that is near roadways as the dust from the cars can contaminate the leaves. Don't pick anything that isn't already still
on the tree as this is the leaves you want...not something on the ground that
could have been stepped on, pee'd on, or handled in some way.


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## Shrimp Daddy (Mar 30, 2013)

Golf courses are good places. I usually bring a bag in my golf cart and collect recently fallen leaves.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

I doubt the city aerial sprays anything, I wouldn't imagine that being safe, I've never even seen city workers spraying trees with handhelds, so I think you'll be safe on that front. However, I've heard dust and pollution can be a problem on trees in cities, I doubt that's avoidable though in this modern world.. 

I would not boil or bake the leaves, just a waste of power, you won't need to sterilize them. Just head to a area with dense tree growth and look for oak trees, they're usually quite big. Or head towards the lakeshore or any lake, look for dense tree growth and pick away. Just try to avoid areas with lots of traffic or construction. I have an oak tree so it's a lot easier if I needed! 

Also, rinsing then soaking the leaves in water for an hour or two can help in clearing off residual dust and any hitchhikers, I used to soak even IAL before placing them in tanks.


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## Jeff B (Jul 27, 2010)

Someone is selling a big bag of 18 India almond leaves for $8 in the buy and sell plants section: http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175882


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## EdC (Mar 5, 2009)

Menagerie has bags of almond leaves for $1.50-$175. Not sure how many per bag.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I wouldn't collect anything from a golf course. It is one of the few places you can guarantee has been heavily sprayed. I don't hesitate to use oak leaves I have picked off the ground in the park up the street. I just toss them into the tank.


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## Jeff B (Jul 27, 2010)

EdC said:


> Menagerie has bags of almond leaves for $1.50-$175. Not sure how many per bag.


I think that $1.50 gets you 2-3 and $175 gets you a "crap load", not sure how that converts to metric though. For a 40b tank you probably only need a quarter crap load or half a crap load at the most.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

When talking units of 'crap load', it really is best to use round numbers. Likely a quarter crap load needed.


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