# Preserving leaf quality



## RichelieuXIV (Feb 24, 2007)

I am a real fan of anubias', but because they last so long and are so resilient, the old leaves tend to turn splotchy, or collect a detritus buildup that can;t really be removed. 
I have several anubias, and the biggest is nearly 18'' long and attached to a piece of driftwood. I am very proud of it and it is a very healthy plant, but i hate looking at the old leaves that look somewhat gross. I have a pretty good clean-up crew (3 different types of snails, 4 corydoras, 3 otto's, 1 SAE, 1 pleco, 4 shrimp) and they dont eat the stuff off.

So i was wondering what i can do (short of clipping or removing the plant entirely to give it a good scrubbing) to preserve the new shiny look of anubias leaves even as they grow old

Thanks


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Nothing you can do. Cycle of nature. Old life dies off to make way for new life. Prune older leaves as they only hurt the plant drawing in nutrients in a losing effort. Once a plant leaf shows deficiency, prune the affected leaf.


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