Are all leaves aquarium safe?

[Scapexghost]

I know a lot of woods are dangerous, but what about leaves? Any i should look out for?

[TheSwissAquarist]

It's more what will be beneficial for you tank...and try to collect them from sanitary places (e.g. not next to a motorway!). 

Oak, beech, pear, birch, raspberry & blackberry work well, and are safe to eaten by fish, snails, and shrimp. Oak is also quite decorative once dried. 

Try picking them when they're only just hanging onto the tree, like that they're mostly free of pests and haven't started decomposing. 

Personally, I prefer to use the occasional pinecone!

[Janoš Bećar Pecaroš]

On 12/2/2022 at 7:14 AM, Pepere said:

I would probably avoid poison ivy leaves….

 

for myself if nothing else…..

You are no fun.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/2/2022 at 2:14 PM, Pepere said:

I would probably avoid poison ivy leaves….

 

for myself if nothing else…..

No kidding 😜

[Schuyler]

If you're going to go for leaves you'd probably want sturdier ones but avoid stuff like ivy or rhododendron

I like this websites information. It seems well researched and actually had citations to scholarly articles. They advise against putting any leaves in your tank because they break down quickly and introduce bacteria to the water column.

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/12-4-1-natural-aquarium-medications/

[TOtrees]

On 12/2/2022 at 11:08 AM, Schuyler said:

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/12-4-1-natural-aquarium-medications/

Quote from the very. first. line. of text: "ALL the claims made for “natural medications” on social media are simply parroted marketing hype designed to make money."

Only a sith deals in absolutes. 

[Schuyler]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:30 AM, TOtrees said:

Only a sith deals in absolutes. 

Sounds like something a sith would say. They're the ones who tend to deal in absolutes

[TOtrees]

@Schuyler

 

Sorry @Scapexghost for the hijacked thread. 

[The endler guy]

On 12/1/2022 at 6:33 PM, Scapexghost said:

I know a lot of woods are dangerous, but what about leaves? Any i should look out for?

Definitely not! Avoid leaves from the trees you would avoid! Ex pines, any tree that is toxic, trees with lots of sap

[Odd Duck]

There are certainly leaves that are toxic that should be avoided.  Anything from a stone fruit tree- cherry, peach, plum, apricot, etc, has cyanide in the pit and all plant parts except the fruit itself.  Oleander leaves are extremely toxic.  Rhododendron and azalea should be avoided, fig tree leaves of any variety (anything that produces a sticky sap), deiffenbachia leaves, poinsettia, etc.  Anything that is known to be toxic should be avoided.  ASPCA has an app that has lots of information about toxic plants. It does not have every single plant in the world, but it does have lots of common houseplants, landscaping plants, and native US plants.  The app is focused on what’s toxic to dogs and cats, but it’s fairly safe to assume it would be similar for fish.  It’s a very good starting place but we know there are exceptions, like pothos.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/4/2022 at 5:40 AM, Odd Duck said:

Oleander leaves are extremely toxic

Include Belladonna, yew trees and wolfsbane

[Odd Duck]

On 12/4/2022 at 12:20 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Include Belladonna, yew trees and wolfsbane

Yep.  People worry so much about toxic mushrooms getting eaten by their dogs/pets, but toxic plants are generally far worse!  There are loads of plants that are only borderline toxic, or so bitter they are rarely ever eaten by their pets (poinsettia fits this category).  There certainly are deadly mushrooms but some plants pack some of the worst toxins.  Precatory beans are a good example.  Beautiful seeds in red and black.  People make jewelry from them.  People have been poisoned by running necklaces of them through their mouth (you know how some people just can’t stop putting necklaces in their mouth?).

The ASPCA has an app to help identify toxic plants and it can also help give you an idea of how toxic the plant it and how likely it would be to cause problems in a fish tank.