Leaf substrate

[Rtc/tsn]

Oh no lol, it ain’t some naturally made pond and def not connected to other water ways, it was built and is for housing fish, I just don’t keep hard to maintain fish in there as sometimes I don’t have time to do weekly water changes and all.

So if tannins are not that good I’ll skip leaves as a full substrate then. Rocks I got, I think they would give a very nice natural look of a river bed as well, lots of rocks and sand in between.
but why is sand not that good as a full substrate fer marble cats?

Sand is only really good for small fish as smaller barbs or tetras and very few types of catfish, honestly I don’t know why sand isn’t good for many catfish but I think it’s just their preference.

 

[duanes]

I use leaf litter for everything from tiny killifish, to large cichlids.
For killifish it is a great place for them to drop eggs and the fry to hide.

as you can see above leaf litter breaks down after a while. Some leaves break down faster than others.
I have found Almond, and Magnolia leaves last longer, below a parent killifish when the same leaves above, were 1st put in the tank..

But I also put leaf litter in large cichlid tanks, the tannins they give off are somewhat anti bacterial and work well for fish from black waters like certain rivers in the Amazon.
But I also have a layer of Pool Filter Sand under the leaf litter
Below are Almond leaves I am using these days


But even these break down over time. Below a link to an experiment using them
Experiment w Almond Leaves

 

[Poseidon2.0]

I have put leaves in all sorts of my tanks. Look amazing and the large cichlid I had loved to root around in them. They do deteriorate and get mixed in with the sand if you let them. But easy enough to syphon off. In our pond growing up there was a substantial layer of leaves at the bottom which worked great with koi and goldfish.

 

[RTC probe 3]

right everyone, thanks a lot fer the help

 

[Rtc/tsn]

right everyone, thanks a lot fer the help

Have you settled in on a decision yet?

 

[RTC probe 3]

Have you settled in on a decision yet?

yes, just rocks and sand and 3 dried leaves. I'll send some pictures of it here in a few hours.

 

[SourAngelfish]

A little late to the party but I use leaf litter layers in many of my tanks as well. Along with sticks. Anything from oak trees are safe so I’ve always stuck with those. The fish love them and they do a good job at keeping the tank healthy and provide mulm for beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms. Overall I’d say leaves lead to a healthier tank.

 

[RTC probe 3]

A little late to the party but I use leaf litter layers in many of my tanks as well. Along with sticks. Anything from oak trees are safe so I’ve always stuck with those. The fish love them and they do a good job at keeping the tank healthy and provide mulm for beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms. Overall I’d say leaves lead to a healthier tank.

ah i see, what about dried cashew leaves as well? i normally use almond but got a good cashew tree as well

 

[RTC probe 3]

Have you settled in on a decision yet?

R rtc be a few images I took.
I think the blue light is a bit ugly, white or yellow would’ve suited a more natural color, without light is better too as this tank is outside?.

(I had forgotten and just remembered to post these when I was doing so in discord, as I’m more active there lol)

 

[SourAngelfish]

looks good, not sure about cashew trees bit considering some of my fish eat cashews I’m sure it would be fine