Basic cleaning/trimming question

[PlantedRich]

I often see recommendations to clean dead leaves and trim damaged/ dying leaves. I'm aware that those will add to the bio-load for the filter and I do watch that but I have questions. Does the removal of dead or dying leaves have other advantages? Does is help to stop disease spread or other things that I might not know about? Or is it simply a matter of making a better looking tank? Comments , please.

[rreekers]

having dead,decaying leaves and plants.. have negative effects on your water parameters ...

just imagine a dead fish in your tank (bad news)... a bunch a dead/decaying leaves can have the same effect

[PlantedRich]

I know about the bio -filtering part and know that the leaves and debris will add additional filter needs but I was wondering if there are other benefits to getting the debris out. I know my filtering is plenty to take care of the bio-load as I only have a few very small fish in a 75 gallon tank. It is more a question of what else may it do for me to cut and trim.

[polypterus491]

Removing dying leaves stimulates new plant growth, because the plant is wasting its time trying to repair those leaves

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[PlantedRich]

Originally Posted by polypterus491

Removing dying leaves stimulates new plant growth, because the plant is wasting its time trying to repair those leaves

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Okay, that is something I had not thought about. Makes sense to not work on a lost cause. Thanks for the tidbit.

[Trickerie]

Originally Posted by PlantedRich

Okay, that is something I had not thought about. Makes sense to not work on a lost cause. Thanks for the tidbit.

Its a toss up, really. If the leaf is truly damaged, yes, trimming it before the plant tries to repair it is usually a good idea. However, if you are trimming nutrient deficient leaves, you may be creating more harm than good. Your plant is actually draining those leaves of its nutrients and using it to further the rest of the plant to stay alive. So, its a good idea to attack the problem at its origin.

As for keeping debris in your tank, its usually recommended to remove it. However, a few leaves here and there can be beneficial, especially if you have shrimp or oto's. Next time you trim a sword, keep some leaves in a jar of water, stick it in the sun and let it grow some algae. Then, put it in your tank and let the otos have a snack :]