Collecting oak leaves for Aquarium

[Scapexghost]

So, I want to set up a blackwater apisto tank. I saw an MD Fish Tanks video a few months ago in which he used oak leaves and i thought it looked good. There are a lot of oak trees on campus, any tips on collecting them, making sure they are safe, and preparing them for the scape?

[CorydorasEthan]

On 12/1/2022 at 1:05 PM, Scapexghost said:

So, I want to set up a blackwater apisto tank. I saw an MD Fish Tanks video a few months ago in which he used oak leaves and i thought it looked good. There are a lot of oak trees on campus, any tips on collecting them, making sure they are safe, and preparing them for the scape?

I just collect them from off the ground in my local park, let them dry for a few days, and then put them in the tank without problems. However, remember to check to make sure there are no chemicals sprayed on the trees or the ground where you collect them, because this can be dangerous for the fish.

I hope this helps!

[NOLANANO]

MD boils the leaves he collects. This is supposed to help them sink right away and kill anything harmful on the leaves.

[Jungle Fan]

Alternatively you can also collect black alder cones if you have any growing in your area (they are indigenous to Europe but have been introduced to Canada and the U.S.), the boiling them first applies here too with the added benefit that it makes the cones sink faster, and remember they are quite potent so one per 5 gallons gives plenty of blackwater. If you collect either oak leaves, or alder cones it's also a good idea to pick them up from locations that aren't too close to busy roads. Alder cones also are very beneficial for shrimp because of their  natural antibacterial and antifungal properties, and the shrimp love to eat them once biofilm grows on them and they begin to break down.

[Scapexghost]

On 12/1/2022 at 4:21 PM, Jungle Fan said:

Alternatively you can also collect black alder cones if you have any growing in your area (they are indigenous to Europe but have been introduced to Canada and the U.S.), the boiling them first applies here too with the added benefit that it makes the cones sink faster, and remember they are quite potent so one per 5 gallons gives plenty of blackwater. If you collect either oak leaves, or alder cones it's also a good idea to pick them up from locations that aren't too close to busy roads. Alder cones also are very beneficial for shrimp because of their  natural antibacterial and antifungal properties, and the shrimp love to eat them once biofilm grows on them and they begin to break down.

Are pine cones safe? That would make for a great temperate blackwater scape. Not that apistos are temperate

[Jungle Fan]

Actual pine cones, cedar, spruce, fir, and conifer cones contain resins that are toxic to fish and which would leak into the water with the tannins, so unfortunately the answer to that is no they aren't safe. Black Alder trees are actually deciduous, leafed trees. Aquarium Co Op carries Catappa leaves (Indian Almond leaves) which are excellent for the aquarium:

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/indian-almond-leaves

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/breeding-supplies/products/10-catappa-leaves

A friend of mine who runs some huge blackwater discus tanks with 3D root backgrounds, and big Amazon swords got himself all kinds of different leaves, seed pods, among them hand sized monkey pot pods, stem, and bark pieces from Tannin Aquatics after reading their blog for a while.

While my Amazon jungle would minimally qualify as blackwater, I use Brightwell Aquatics Blackwater Clear at the same time I add liquid fertilizer, I actually pre-soaked my wood stumps for anywhere from three to six months to avoid the heavy tea color, especially so because I had two larger pieces of Mopani wood among my driftwood. 

[Schuyler]

On 12/1/2022 at 2:21 PM, Jungle Fan said:

Alternatively you can also collect black alder cones if you have any growing in your area (they are indigenous to Europe but have been introduced to Canada and the U.S.), 

Is there anything special about black alder vs other types of alder?

I've been collecting red alder cones for my shrimp and they seem to be doing fine with them

[Jungle Fan]

From what I know all Alder wood and cones are aquarium safe, Black Alder cones just happen to be the ones most often found for sale in the trade. Shrimp love them!

Here's an article I had bookmarked for a friend in Virginia a while back:

https://fishtankadvisor.com/alder-cones/

[Scapexghost]

On 12/2/2022 at 12:16 AM, Jungle Fan said:

Actual pine cones, cedar, spruce, fir, and conifer cones contain resins that are toxic to fish and which would leak into the water with the tannins, so unfortunately the answer to that is no they aren't safe. Black Alder trees are actually deciduous, leafed trees. Aquarium Co Op carries Catappa leaves (Indian Almond leaves) which are excellent for the aquarium:

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/indian-almond-leaves

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/breeding-supplies/products/10-catappa-leaves

A friend of mine who runs some huge blackwater discus tanks with 3D root backgrounds, and big Amazon swords got himself all kinds of different leaves, seed pods, among them hand sized monkey pot pods, stem, and bark pieces from Tannin Aquatics after reading their blog for a while.

While my Amazon jungle would minimally qualify as blackwater, I use Brightwell Aquatics Blackwater Clear at the same time I add liquid fertilizer, I actually pre-soaked my wood stumps for anywhere from three to six months to avoid the heavy tea color, especially so because I had two larger pieces of Mopani wood among my driftwood. 

Darn nature ruining all my ideas!

How about acorn husks? Lots of those around

[Jungle Fan]

Oak leaves are o.k. but I'm not sure about acorn husks. I know acorns are extremely high in tannins, and with whole acorns there would be a chance of them rotting. I know acorns are toxic to dogs, horses, and cattle, so I'm not sure I'd want them in my tank, then again I'm not a toxicologist, or botanist but in over fifty years of keeping fish I've never heard, or seen them being used. 

[Scapexghost]

On 12/2/2022 at 1:13 AM, Jungle Fan said:

Oak leaves are o.k. but I'm not sure about acorn husks. I know acorns are extremely high in tannins, and with whole acorns there would be a chance of them rotting. I know acorns are toxic to dogs, horses, and cattle, so I'm not sure I'd want them in my tank, then again I'm not a toxicologist, or botanist but in over fifty years of keeping fish I've never heard, or seen them being used. 

Ive seen a couple pics online of ppl using them. Im at university rn so i probably could find a toxicologist and/or botanist. Guess ill ask around in the morning. Thanks for all the help!

[Jungle Fan]

Have you ever seen Bael tree pods, or Monkey pot pods? The first time I saw them I thought they were acorn husks, but they are much larger. A lot of blackwater aquarists are using them in their hardscapes now, especially for large tanks between 120 gallon to 250 gallons. There are pictures of each on the Tannin Aquatics site, however let me know what you find out, it's been a good long while since I completed my combined 8 years at college. The nice thing about keeping fish and plants is you never stop learning.