Tank Full Of Leaves

[Scatocephalus]

Can you so kindly show me where he mentions anything about his setup clogging or getting buildup? I have been watching that thread. The poster advised someone to watchout for clogs, but never mentioned about his setup. I would imagine leaves stick to the intake and could pose a problem.

The tank is filtered by a wet/dry. As such is has a surface skimmer. I do need to keep a close eye on the surface skimmer when I first add the leaves and they are still floating. Otherwise the leaves are not an issue once they sink. I suspect that once the leaves start to break down I'll be bust changing the wet/dry pre-filter and filter pads pretty frequently.

I also have 3 powerheads for additional circulation and oxygenation. These I have to watch closely as the leaves do have a tendednacy to clog the intakes. I'm think of adding sponge pre-filters to the powerheads to reduce the chance of clogging.

what kind of leaves are??? Acer?

The leaves are a Quercus specie (oak). I make sure the leaves are dead and dry and absolutely no sap left.

I was wondering - how do you prep the leaves for putting in your tank? How do you get around pesticides? And how do you gravel vac? I am thinking about doing this to my tanks.

Lindsey

I didn't do anything to prep the leaves. Oak trees retain their leaves until the following spring when the new leaves cause them to drop. The leaves were plucked right from the tree. I took them home and dropped them right in the tank. Oak trees are not terribly susceptible to disese so it's not like I was really worried about pesticides. Plus, who sprays a forrest every fall? I've read where some people want to rinse the leaves first or even pre-soak them. This is OK but it will definitely reduce the amount of tanins available to the tank. Especially if you pre-soak them.

looks awesome, is that with or with lights on the tank?

The picture is with 120 watts of flouresecnt lighting and indirect sunlight. Without the sunlight the tank water is too dark to see the fish, even with a camera flash. I have to credit the colors of the fish partially to the sun. Sunlight is the best color enhancer there is. If you ever get a chance to set a tank up in direct sunlight I highly recommend it. Just be preparred to wipe a LOT of algae!!

i like the way it looks but i would hate that dark water. Is it hard to see the fish? I would imagine the leaves would alter the water quality too but i do like the look of the leaves.

Your fish look great but how much darker can you stand the water to be? I'd think that even though the fish get better looking the darkness would cancel it out for you.

Honestly, my original intent was to try and induce breeding behaviour so esthetics were not a big concern. With that said, you get used to it and it looks quite nice even with the dark water. It also brings out behaviour in the fish which is fun to watch. The tanins affect the fish's behaviour.

If you really like the leaves but not the dark color you could run carbon and it would remove the tanins leaving you with the leaves and the desired look but not the dark water. I think that kind of defeats the purpose however.

 

[X24]

Honestly, my original intent was to try and induce breeding behaviour so esthetics were not a big concern. With that said, you get used to it and it looks quite nice even with the dark water. It also brings out behaviour in the fish which is fun to watch. The tanins affect the fish's behaviour.

If you really like the leaves but not the dark color you could run carbon and it would remove the tanins leaving you with the leaves and the desired look but not the dark water. I think that kind of defeats the purpose however.

ah then i hope they DO breed for you. Your fish are top notch and we could do with more of their kind around.

 

[Acer]

They look kinda like white oak (Quercus alba); not sure if they plant those where you are?

I gotta say, that looks awesome. When I first read the thread and initially saw the pic, it took me a second to appreciate it. I really like that look!

I could see mold developing pretty quickly though... leaves are covered (inside and out) with lots of fungi, and giving them the right humidity and heat will let them flourish. Oaks are pretty resistant with their tannins and such, but I can still see it happening in the future...

Looks wicked though... has such a natural feeling to it; like you are peering underwater in a nice stream or lake edge during the fall.

 

[killerfish]

looks great now the rays looks like they like it i would be worried about what it would do to the water what are your nitrates like plus once the leaves start to break down it might not look as good

but for know your fish look great that pic is kinda creepy i can just barely see the reflection of a girl on the tank

 

[Scatocephalus]

but for know your fish look great that pic is kinda creepy i can just barely see the reflection of a girl on the tank

LOL That's my 14 year old daughter.

 

[Scatocephalus]

They look kinda like white oak (Quercus alba); not sure if they plant those where you are?

Actually, I believe they are Q. palustris, Pin Oak.

I gotta say, that looks awesome. When I first read the thread and initially saw the pic, it took me a second to appreciate it. I really like that look!

I could see mold developing pretty quickly though... leaves are covered (inside and out) with lots of fungi, and giving them the right humidity and heat will let them flourish. Oaks are pretty resistant with their tannins and such, but I can still see it happening in the future...

I've tried this before with Acer leaves (Sycamore). There was no issue whatsoever with mold, fungus or nitrates. When the leaves breakdown they do so like driftwood albeit much quicker. They break down into fine bits and pieces that are easy to siphon out or the filter gets them.

If the leaves were still green I can see there being problems.

Looks wicked though... has such a natural feeling to it; like you are peering underwater in a nice stream or lake edge during the fall.

Thanks!! The fish sure seem to enjoy it.

 

[Taz2478]

no wonder you're using garbage bags full. I'm testing on a 10 and it takes a good bit (leaves and time) to get going and your leaves look huge to what I'm finding.

does anyone make a big micron bag. I could fill 1 or 2 up with leaves for the 75 to see how my Fire and Severus like it. Sevs already doing the battle testing.