Collecting leaves etc. For food

[Happy-pitbull]

So Im very interested in providing a varied diet to my shrimp, and the more items I can collect from nature myself, the better. 

I have gotten local mulberry leaves and alder cones, both of which the shrimp love. But are there preferred times of year for harvesting these?  I got both these items within the last month here in Nova Scotia Canada. 

Also I have been wanting to try other types of leaves but Im not 100% certain what types are ok to feed, and if they can be picked at any time or not. I recently collected some Maple leaves but have yet to feed them for 1, I read somewhere they should only be picked in the fall?, and 2 , Im not sure how to prepare them ( fresh, dried or frozen) .

And are there other types of leaves I can feed?  Oak, Red Maple, Birch?   

Thanks in advance :) 

 

 

[jayc]

Most leaves are okay to feed shrimp. I have personally fed leaves from Oak, Birch, Mango, Passionfruit leaves, Hibiscus. Wash and blanch like you would Mulberry leaves.

Some leaves are oily like our Eucalyptus trees, so they are best used dried. 

Any leaves with a lot of Sap need to be dried. 

Other alternatives to leaves are flowers. I wrote an article here listing some examples and the benefits.

 

Edited July 18, 2016 by jayc

[zn30]

I bought a white mulberry tree today from Bunnings, $9.95, it's only small about 28cms at the moment, it can grow to 8 meters tall if planted out, this one will be in a larger pot to control its growth. Bought it for my shrimps LOL ?