Avoiding Hitchhikers on Plants?

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DreaminginBlue

Aquarium Advice FINatic
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I'm helping a friend set up a tank and they've been adamant that they do not want any hitchhiking critters coming in on plants, planaria, hydra, snails or otherwise.
My question is, how would you go about ensuring this? I've heard of bleach and salt dips, but wondered which is the most effective method. They want everything dead, including eggs.
I asked them about doing tissue culture plants, but they didn't seem too keen on that, as they tend to have shallow roots and be harder to plant.
Thanks.
 
The bleach dip has been the most effective for me, but you can run the risk of damaging/killing the plants if the mix is too strong or if you keep them in the bath too long... especially if it's a delicate species to begin with.
There's still the slim possibility that hitchhikers will survive the dip though. Cultured plants are the surest way to avoid them. Your friend will need to come to terms with this.
 
I've tried salt and peroxide on different occasions. Still had some critters survive and I killed some plants.

Java fern died back to the rhizome with salt water.

Jungle Val died with peroxide.
 
Yikes. Might just have to go tissue culture then. I don't want to kill my friend's plants!
 
Bleach dipping killed everything in my 30gallon. I'll never recommend that at all ever. Why not try boosting the immune system of the tank and the fish so they could all handle exposure to things like new plants. These fish come from nature and all we have to do is let nature recreate itself. From now on I'm doing everything organically.
 
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Really the only thing you can do is buy tissue cultured plants that come in those cups. The problem with those however is there will be a massive die-off at the beginning because they are not used to the water, but will rebound. I did this with my baby tears.
 
Everything dies off. Give it 6months you won't even recognize the tank. There is no instant gratification with plants. Accept it and work with mother nature for the results we're all going for. Patience, Daniel San
 
Splattered
I also practice the natural approach towards snail and insect larva elimination.
Starving them out is ok, but there is nothing like watching a group of juvenile festae cichlids absolutely thrashing invasive snails.
 
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Bleach dipping killed everything in my 30gallon

Plenty of people perform bleach dips without killing the plants, let alone everything inside the aquarium. I'm sorry for your singular bad experience, but that doesn't mean the process itself is bad.

I don't think people who dip their plants are doing so because they believe they are preventing something dangerous from entering their tanks and killing their fish. It's more about preventing an outbreak of an aesthetically displeasing organism (algae, hydra, snails, etc).

It's like the saying "an ounce of prevention out weighs a pound of cure". By doing something quick and easy in the beginning, you're saving yourself from much more stress and headache later.

Sure you could add more fish that may or may not help with the situation. Sure you could cut back on feedings to see if that solves the problem (unlikely).

Or, you can try to make sure they don't get into your tank in the first place.
 
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It seems that no matter how much one prepares, mother nature always finds a way to screw things up.
It really doesn't matter how much plant prep you do, dipping or simply washing off, sooner or later your going to be faced with Some type of problem.
Problem solving is a big part of the fun associated with the hobby.
A lot of good suggestions have been made.
 
Let me tell you about the time I got the bright idea to blast all my plants with UVC light to control problems.

Took the plants months to recover. Fried them.

Lol
 
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