# Advice on Disinfecting Plants Needed



## archgop (Sep 19, 2010)

How do you treat or kill off the algae on plants , particularly ferns, before introducing it to your tank?


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## 03pilot (Oct 7, 2010)

I have never tried it before but thought this link may help??

http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1445


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## ThaChingster (Feb 25, 2011)

You can dip the plants in a 1:20 bleach to water ratio solution


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

I'm always a bit leery with the bleach... it just seems wrong. I normally fill up a five gallon tank, then add a double dose of excel and do the dip that way for an hour or so. It will look as though the algae is still green and healthy when removed, but after about a day it will turn white and start dying off. Others have luck with the peroxide, but i have avoided that as well.


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## zimmy (Aug 30, 2010)

I always bleach (1:20 solution) my anubias and java fern before adding them to the tank. My intention is to avoid introducing snails to the tank. It's worked so far.

I also bleached my anubias nana petite last week to get the algae off them. It worked and they look great now.

I wouldn't use the bleach for most other plants though.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

If your intention is to remove the parasites, you can try one or both these techniques. If the plant was in a tank with dead fish (i see this at big al), then probably do both, specially the second technique.

1) Use Pottassium Permanganate for 5 - 15 minutes at 20 ppm if the plants are weak (moss), hours if the plants are strong.

2) Quarantine it for 2 weeks. You would need either a snall aquarium, or a glass jar, and have it need window with sun, or lamp.


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## Bwhiskered (Oct 2, 2008)

To kill parasites and snails a 30 second dip in a solution of 1 teaspoon of alum to a liter of water followed by a good rinse in fresh cool water is all they need.


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## Rainbow11 (Jul 12, 2011)

zfarsh said:


> If your intention is to remove the parasites, you can try one or both these techniques. If the plant was in a tank with dead fish (i see this at big al), then probably do both, specially the second technique.
> 
> 1) Use Pottassium Permanganate for 5 - 15 minutes at 20 ppm if the plants are weak (moss), hours if the plants are strong.
> 
> 2) Quarantine it for 2 weeks. You would need either a snall aquarium, or a glass jar, and have it need window with sun, or lamp.


Where can you buy potassium permanganate?
Thanks.


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

I bleach all my low light plants in 5% bleach for 30 sec, then in dechlorinator solution .. For stem plants, I do 15 seconds, and for moss hc ug.. I use excel similar to ray. Bleach +alcohol is how they treat tissue samples at tropica and other big browers, and they use way more. for ferns, anubias, you most likely wont have any issues.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

I got my Potassium Permanganate from Shoppers Drug Mart in a powdered/crystal form. They had to special order it for me.

Jimmy, for the moss, you mentioned you use Excel only? Just curious how you kill the parasites (not just snails/algae) on those.


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## jimmyjam (Nov 6, 2007)

yeah I def use excel just for the algae. I would use bleach if you are that worried about parasites. Do you have issues with them? In regards to snails, you are bound to get some in a planted tank, its how you manage them that is key. Let us know how your chem experiment goes.. Im interested in the results. Maybe toss some snails and hydras in there to see if they survive.


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