Oak leaves for shrimp tanks?

noodles62

noodles62

Just Noods......
Apr 17, 2008
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Dawn
Somewhere I read (Cannot find it now of course) that you can put oak leaves on the substrate for shrimp tanks and they really like it. Can someone confirm this and also advise what is the best way to "wash" the leaves before I put them in? (no pesticides, I am certain - don't worry!)
Thanks!
 
Yes you can. I'd let the leaves natrually fall off when they are brown in fall (Blue oak, some cork oak) I tend to not use the coast live oak leaf because the leaves don't drop in the winter. I let the leaves dry then soak in a bucket of tap when I need to use them. Though you may need to gently scrub the leaf to get rid of dirt and dust.Maybe Mr. Southern will see this post and add his thoughts
 
I am not sure what type of oak they are - just regular! LOL
I live in W. NC so the leaves are all falling now....Thanks for the input....
 
I have used oak leaves in my tanks as well. I prep them like I do driftwood, and of course make sure they are seasoned (brown) leaves that have dropped on their own.
 
I use oak leaves too. I don't wash them or anything, just plop them in and put gravel on top. If you mean for them to be sitting on top of the substrate, you'll probably need to soak them until waterlogged, or else weight them down somehow.

In western NC you won't have any oaks with extremely waxy leaves, so you should be able to use the leaves of any species. Leaves of maple, tuliptree, and beech are also fine, and are perhaps a bit easier for the shrimp to chew on.
 
I read that you can microwave them for a minute or two after washing, its what I did to the leaves I put in my tank to kill anything on them.
 
I just flash boil them briefly after collection, dry them, and then add as needed. They usually sink after a day or so. They don't necessarily stay put though ifyou have any sort of power filtration.
 
Cool! I have a HUGE Tulip tree in front of our place......But for now I will stick with the oak, they are a beautiful color and my new shrimpies will look mmaaaahhhvelous on them! LOL
 
Yes leaves are VERY good for your shrimp to have available in their tank. The shrimp do not actually eat the leaves, but feed on the bio film and bacteria that is feeding on the leaves and breaking them down. Having leaves in your tank will also help assure a better survival; rate of young since there is a readily available food supply for them.

Leaves from hardwood trees will last longer in your tank than softwoods in many cases and leaves from fruit trees seem to decompose the quickest like peach or plumb, but the shrimp sure seem to like them as well.

That said as mentioned be very careful you are not collecting where spraying of either fertilizers or pesticides as you already know especially orchards unless you know for sure no sprays were used. Rinsing is fine before soaking if they are very dirty, but most leaves I collect are nice and clean and dried brown. I have never boiled or done anything other than soak them in used aquarium water for a few days until the have sunk and bacteria (bio film) has begun to colonize on the leaves and you can tell because they get a tad slimy.

I then simply drop them in the tank and the shrimp mob it. I use several per tank and replace as the others turn to skeletons.
 
I have put a few dried oak leaves in my tank with the shrimp and they seem to like hiding under them. My leaves are not sinking very well so I have a stone on top of them, but where the edges float up I can see the little darlins underneath! I am certain that there is no spray or chemicals as these trees are right outside my house. I collected a dozen or so to use over the next few months, a few at a time. Thanks for your input and I love your site. :grinyes:
 
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