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Re: Why we use oak leaves instead of maple leaves
Bill,
Great Research Job!I collected my year supply of Oak leaves last week from
my favorite 300 year old tree.A Discus breeder once told me that he prefered
Maple over Oak leaves because of the higher acid contents of the Maple
leaves.I'm sure he didn't know what you came across here.
Max
Visit "The Digital Aquarium" and L&M Tropicals at:
http://clix.to/Apisto
From: "William Vannerson" <William_Vannerson@ama-assn.org>
Reply-To: apisto@listbox.com
To: <apisto@listbox.com>
Subject: Why we use oak leaves instead of maple leaves
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 13:50:22 -0600
There have been frequent threads over the years as to why oak leaves are
preferable to other species leaves, especially maple leaves, for tank
litter in Apisto tanks. Yesterday I ran across an interesting passage in a
book I'm reading (_The Vegetation of Wisconsin: An Ordination of Plant
Communities_ by John T. Curtis, 1959) that sheds some light on the subject.
In describing the life cycle of the Sugar Maple, the dominant tree in the
Southern Mesic Forest, he notes:
"Another effect of the leaves is bought about by their high content of
basic nutrient elements at the time of leaf shedding. . . . the nutrients
which have been pulled into the leaf by the transpiration stream during the
summer remain there and are not withdrawn into the trunks as in the oaks
and many other species. When the leaves are shed, they contain high levels
of calcium, magnesium and potassium.
The high base content of the maple leaves is correlated with the ease of
breakdown by the millipedes, fungi and other soil biota."
So the base elements in maple leaves would likely cause them to quickly
degenerate as well as release elements that would cause the water to become
harder more alkaline, or at least prevent it from become soft and acidic
like oak leaves do.
Bill Vannerson
McHenry, IL
http://vannerson.home.att.net/
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