# Leaf litter



## boombotty (Oct 12, 2005)

Hi all,
I have always been a fan of using moss as a ground cover, but was wondering what magnolia leaves looked like after a few months. Could someone please post pics of their vivs with leaf litter after it had been in there for awile?
Thanks,
Scott


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## amphibianfreak (Jul 21, 2004)

I have no pics, but leaf litter is the way to go! If you use magnolia leaves you should only have to add more maybe 3 times a year IME. I have them in all my tanks.


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## Drew (Nov 9, 2006)

First time leaf user - do you break them up or put them in whole? I tried whole but for some reason I didn't like the look.


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## ian (Dec 25, 2006)

You put them in whole. After a while of constant wetting and springtail consuption, they break apart. Some leafs in the drier areas will stay the golden color while the wet ones will get dark brown. I'll try posting some pics of my pumilio viv.


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## DartMan (Nov 29, 2005)

ian said:


> You put them in whole.


Debatable! 

I try and look at setting up my hardscapes by thinking along the lines of, ..... what would it look like in the wild? Most likely you would not see all perfect whole leaves laying around the ground, but a mix of both broken and whole leaves.

It's up to you in the end.

God Luck!


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## allanschon (Mar 25, 2007)

My tank is so heavily planted that I can't fit whole leaves. Breaking them up may mean that they don't last as long, but in the end, it's more important to me that I get some leaf litter in the tank to help provide living/breeding sites for springtails. Whole or broken is more of an aesthetic choice than a matter of right or wrong.


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## the_noobinator (Jan 14, 2007)

allanschon said:


> My tank is so heavily planted that I can't fit whole leaves. Breaking them up may mean that they don't last as long, but in the end, it's more important to me that I get some leaf litter in the tank to help provide living/breeding sites for springtails.


backed.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I use multiple types of leaves to get that real leaf litter look... various sized magnolia leaves, and two types of oak. I soak some of the oak and usually put them down as the first layer (when soaked they are more pliable and are much like tough paper). The main leaf litter layer is then a thick batch of the various oak and magnolia leaves, some of which are broken (when dry they are very brittle and often break when I take them out of the box). I find the oak are easier for tanks that are heavier planted so I can easily plant around plants, which I can't do with the tougher magnolia. A mix of leaves gives you a more natural look, greater flexibility in making it in the first place, and also gives your microfauna a nice buffet that breaks down at varying rates... just toss in a couple various leaves every couple of weeks/months to keep the look going.

Breaking them up shouldn't have them break down any faster, even tho it may seem like it. And remember, you want a THICK layer... the thicker the better... and in multiple inches if possible. The thicker the layer, the more refugium for the springtails. I've taken to doing the substrate, making the leaf litter layer, THEN planting my plants.


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## DartMan (Nov 29, 2005)

KeroKero said:


> I've taken to doing the substrate, making the leaf litter layer, THEN planting my plants.


Interesting concept!


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I got sick of trying to get the leaves to go around the plants, and then finding that the addition of leaf litter than caused the issue of the plants being too deep in the substrate. I prefer to do fresh cuttings where I just poke a hole with a pencil and insert the cuttings. With vining plants, often I'll just let them sit on top of the leaf litter and find their own way down to the substrate... maybe sit them of a tuft of sphagnum moss to stay moist until their roots dig down.

With larger potted plants, I'll clean the roots, and usually end up kinda scooping the leaf litter out where I want the plant to go, sitting the plant on top of the substrate, then covering the roots with the thick layer of leaf litter... but I prefer cuttings or small plants and letting them grow in. What helps is the bottom layer is usually soaked oak leaves so it forms a thick paper... often I can just scoop the loose layers to the side, cut an X in the bottom layer of litter, nest the roots partially in the X so the roots have access to the substrate (but usually aren't totally in it), then move as much of the leaf litter back around the plant as I can.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Oh... if you only have magnolia leaves, and you're looking to try and get a layer of leaf litter so the substrate isn't exposed, and you don't have oak leaves to do what I do, crunch up some magnolia leaves in your hand when they are dry and crispy, and scatter a layer of this over the substrate. It lies flat, unlike the whole leaves, and no ugly substrate poking thru. I still recomend mixing up the leaves tho.


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## boombotty (Oct 12, 2005)

Thanks for all the replies and tips. I am going to use magnolia leaves instead of moss on my 55 I'm setting up. I've never seeded my tanks with springtails, only keep large frogs, so I like the idea of the leaves sustaining them.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Just remember it's not a sprinkle of leaves, it's like those big piles of leaves that you rake up in the fall :lol: I can just imagine my frogs belly flopping into their leaf litter... but the reality of it is that I'll see a large leaf moving like there is a mole under it, and a bicolor will pop their head out after a successful cricket chase lol. Some of my frogs probably have tunnels thru the stuff... I'm pretty sure the zaparo do.


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## droogievesch (Sep 8, 2006)

Where can I find leaf litter?


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

On the forest floor.

:lol: Ah, I crack myself up sometimes... except that was kinda lame. :roll: 

I, unfortunately, do not live in an area that is a good clean place pick up my own leaves... so I harass friends and/or buy leaves from people here online. I stock up during the fall. To get the mixed oak and magnolia that I do, I generally have hit up 3 different sources... one for each tree I use, tho I generally hit them up for big batches and I currently have a rather large box mostly full of mixed leaf litter right now. A box stuffed with magnolia, a garbage back of red oak from here... a couple of brown bags of pin oak there... some other leaves get in the mix too, but they end up just being springtail fodder when they break down fast. I've noticed they make good springtail and isopod munchies even tho they degrade too fast for good leaf litter.


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## droogievesch (Sep 8, 2006)

Thanks! I didn't know if it was something that could be bought commercially, or if it is really just a matter of finding them in the forest.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Since it's hard to know what has been possibly sprayed and what not on trees unless you own them, many people buy from other keepers that have the trees growing in their yard that they know are clean. For example, I live on a farm, so while I've got some GORGEOUS old magnolias down near me, and some oak right out side my door, I know they spray lots of chemicals on the crops, some of which is done by planes and I'm sure hit the trees next to the fields soI'm not willing to take the risk. I'd rather hit up friends who live on a few acres that I can pay a couple bucks and get a trash bag or box worth of leaves.

Fall is coming! Time to bulk up with leaf litter


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## CTM75 (Aug 10, 2005)

*haha*

tday we were at a small local park area and I ran to my car and grabbed a sack and started filling it with leaves...my friend was like wow what are you doing..are you ok...lol..Im like theres at least 3 different types of oak leaves here look how good this looks....he def. thought I was losing it...mixing the leaves is def. the way to go...and whole ones crushed leaves and pieces looks the best...IMHO...make sure to link a pic when you get it done..


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## holden (Sep 4, 2007)

droogievesch said:


> Where can I find leaf litter?


Home depot :wink:. No, really. I had a hard time finding magnolia leaves. They don't grow around here (or at least I haven't seen any) and no one I know has one. But they do sell magnolia trees at Home Depot and Lowes. So I went there and helped myself to the leaves that had *already fallen* off the trees. I wouldn't chance picking leaves off the actual tree, but they didn't seem to mind me taking dead leaves from the pots. I got a few strange looks though. :shock:


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I wouldn't recomend that... home depot does sometimes water with fertilizers, not to mention what the plant has been treated with before it got there.


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## AndrewFromSoCal (Jan 1, 2007)

It's an anole cage, pre-grow in, but it has leaves?


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