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I've read different views on whether to remove leaves that have separated from plants. One view is to leave the leaves because they contribute to the biomass = nutrients. Just not to leave too much as a build up of sludge is harmful. Another view is to remove the leaves because they contribute to ammonia build up. Also, prune plants because the dying leaves take away from plant growth. Any thoughts in this? Thanks.

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I don't believe Dead or dying leaves take anything from the plant.  They are dead.  I will prune them for visual reasons.  If one or two get away from me it is no big deal. The filter or the snails will usually take care of that.  Leaves that are damaged because of some nutrient deficiency will take away from the plant.  I remove all but the best looking damaged leaves, If that leaf continues to decay, I know I haven't solved the problem.

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Like others, I leave some, remove others. Some species of plants grow best if you remove dying leaves, as they put energy into new growth instead of trying to repair damaged old growth. Others don't matter either way. Also, if a tank is balanced and well stocked, a few dead leaves won't affect water parameters much at all. If you have a large plant die-off for some reason, that could be a problem for water quality, though. Even then, I'd be more inclined to monitor water quality and let nature take its course, only intervening if water quality suffers. I keep snails, shrimp, and plecos, so that plays into my plant keeping decisions.

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On 11/13/2021 at 1:30 PM, Knew tooth is said:

whether to remove leaves that have separated from plants

I watch to see if anybody is interested in eating them, if not, they come out when I get around to it. If you look around on this forum some you would find that a lot of folks go out of their way to put dead leaves in their aquariums.

I believe that if a dead leaf or two will trash your parameters you are living too close to the edge.

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On 11/16/2021 at 2:46 AM, Ken said:

I believe that if a dead leaf or two will trash your parameters you are living too close to the edge.

I agree. And a planted tank (where dead leaves are more likely) especially should normally not be too sensitive. Unless it's a very big leaf in a very small tank with only slow growing plants and a small filter or something like that. 

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The positives of leaving leaf litter on land the in the tank all the 

  1. 1 To free up nutrients and encourage new growth
  2. 2 To prevent the spread of disease or pests
  3. 3 To improve health and appearance

negatives in an aquarium 

1 Decomposition: Organic material such as dead plant leaves, leftover food and dead fish quickly decay, and that decomposition produces high levels of ammonia. 
 

my opinion, we can all find great show tanks with leaves all over the place. In show tank I don’t feel the tank is keep long term. I have one or to leaves that are dried and most of the nitrogen is out of those leaves. A couple of dead or decaying is probably ok. When I trim my plants I remove them.  There is a lot more out there but to me tons of trimmed leaf matter is not good. Do an experiment text water a days before, and then about a week after the the leaves are in. And maybe a second week after. 

I use peat and the test at week1-2 are similar but 4-5 there is a large difference. 
 

ieave are not bad per se but will it change the water test ove time. 

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On 11/13/2021 at 1:30 PM, Knew tooth is said:

I've read different views on whether to remove leaves that have separated from plants. One view is to leave the leaves because they contribute to the biomass = nutrients. Just not to leave too much as a build up of sludge is harmful. Another view is to remove the leaves because they contribute to ammonia build up. Also, prune plants because the dying leaves take away from plant growth. Any thoughts in this? Thanks.

It depends. (Isn't that pretty much everything with aquarium keeping 🤔)

 

If you are running a CO2 tank, aiming for the gorgeous aquascape, and you are doing the full fert schedule and everything, you will want to prune plants regularly so you can shape their growth, and remove everything you prune to prevent potential growth interference in the future (say, a trimmed section rooting where you didn't want growth, or dying and decaying, and starting an algae growth).

If your goal is to mimic nature more closely (ie: a gravel or sand capped dirt substrate, and/or a Walstad/German inspired natural tank), the goal is to leave everything in the tank. 

I have a ton of amphopods and snails. I leave everything in my tanks, as part of a healthy ecosystem that has multiple food sources for everything from fry to adults. That way, if I have a chronic illness flare, my tanks are going to stay fairly stable.

 

They might not be pretty, and nothing should die.

Now, I am planning on another build next year, that I will be photographing for the IAPLC in 2023. I will intentionally prune the tank, and keep it cleaner than the majority of my tanks, because competition. 

Outside of a competition tank, I am not interested in doing that much work, it detracts from my enjoyment of the tanks I have. 

So having one show quality tank will allow my artistic nature a controlled environment to explore, without sucking my personal fun out of the hobby. Identify what part of the hobby is fun for you, and build the maintenance you need to have fun around your inherent joy of the hobby. 

 

If that makes sense?

[I really derive great satisfaction watching amphopods and snails breaking down leaves, etc. It's like a walk in the woods when I was a kid. Not everyone finds their joy in the same things, however. So my joy may be someone else's squick]

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Dear Torrey- thanks for your detailed response. Well geared remarks, if I might say so; i.e., depends on my goal. Actually, I am not that sophisticated in this pursuit, although I'm certainly enjoying my rudimentary endeavor. I think I'll compromise, which is take out some detritus and leave other. I do have some nerite snails, but not that many. Haven't ventured into the world of amphipods. I think I have enough to tackle thus far.  Good luck on your competition entry. 

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I’ll just hop in to clarify that dying leaves can actually be helpful to the plant if the plant is nutrient deficient. This is because it will often sacrifice the old/damaged/dying leaves to slurp out any useful nutrients to support its new growth. If you’re fertilizing though, the plant doesn’t need that extra benefit, so trim away. 🙂 

@Torreyvery excited to see your competition tank!

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