TG, while it is true that leaves snipped off partway Can look unsightly, sometimes I have no choice. The leaves on my jungle val will reach the surface and just keep growing, coiling around and shading out everything. (I've had jungle val leaves close to Five Feet Long, when I let them grow unimpeded.) In this case, I will cut leaves at the water's surface, certainly with sharp scissors. It doesn't kill the entire leaf, and I get the light back in the lower reaches of the tank.