Cottonwood Leaf Litter - Dry

These dry leaves can be placed directly in your aquarium or can be boiled or soaked in water to help them sink faster and release some of the tannins. This will help avoid your tank getting too “dark” by releasing some of the tannins out of the leaves before they go into the tank. If your water gets “too dark” for your liking you can do a water change or run carbon in the filter. 

Something to keep in mind when using a lot of botanicals like leaf litter and seed pods is your water hardness. As leaf litter starts breaking down the chemical reaction will “use up” minerals out of the water column. This will lower the water's alkalinity (“hardness”) and pH. If you're struggling with a low pH you can add some crushed coral, aragonite sand, seashells or many other DIY calcium carbonate sources to your tank to help maintain and raise the water hardness.