Leaf or branch for shrimp?

[giantlumberjack]

I got a couple shrimps this week and i was wondering whats better for them? 

Can i use bay leaf? Is it true that both will discolor the water? How do you use them? Do i put the leaf/branch in for a week and then take it out or do i leave it in there? 

Edited September 17, 2020 by giantlumberjack

[Brandy]

I have never used bay, but I have used alder cones, and indian almond leaves, and oak leaves. I think you have to be a bit careful to not put in things that have phenols (like conifers) and I put in the things when they are dry and brown, not fresh.

Typically with botanicals I leave them in there until they are gone--meaning the shrimp have skeletonized the leaf. They like to eat it as it rots. If it looks ok to you, leave it as long as you like. I take them out when they look too chewed to be pretty and then I put in another. Taking them out is for my aesthetic sensibilities, the shrimp would munch on them longer.

[Andy's Fish Den]

I'm not sure about Bay leaves. Botanicals I have used for shrimp tanks are alder cones, indian almond leaves, oak leaves, mulberry leaves and guava leaves. All except the oak leaves I have bought online from various vendors, the oak leaves I collect in my woods every fall. If you want to collect your own oak leaves make sure to collect away from anywhere that any pesticides are being sprayed, and let the leaves turn brown on the branch naturally. I then boil them for a couple minutes and put in tanks.