Bleaching plants

[newhobbist]

I've heard that bleaching plants and decorations helps to get rid of algae. What are proportions of bleach/water solution that would do the work and not kill plants. Also, how to clean plants after bleaching to prevent bleach from reaching the aquarium water?

 

[PurpleSmurf]

Fill a one gallon container with a 20:1 ratio of bleach to water. Fill a five gallon bucket with clean water. Submerge the plant for one minute in the bleach solution, rinse thouroughly with water, then place in the five gallon bucket.

For fragile plants dip for only 20-30 seconds, limit all dips to a maximum of two minutes.

Wash your hands before working with the clean plants or aquarium again.


And this is more of a method for killing potentially unwanted hitchhikers like pond snails.

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Fragile plants include cabomba, hornwort and basically anything frilly. Also you can put dechlor in the rinse bucket to help remove the bleach

 

[travis simonson]

Also dose the rinse water with 5-10 times the required amount of dechlorinator for its volume. It will neutralize any residual chlorine on the plants from the bleach solution and prevent it from getting into your tank when you put the plants back in.

 

[oscarbreeder]

This is a good trick I was told about the other day to clean algae off fake plants and decor.

Run your dishwasrer trough the cycle without ANY soap.
Then add your plants and decor and a packet of lemonaid run again.

Havent tried this yet but plan on it to see how it works.

 

[newhobbist]

Thank you, guys. I will try to do it next week. For now, I just rinsed the plants several times in water and put them back in.

 

[Fubie]

Interesting note from my experience with this technique. I placed plants with black brush algae on them and after taking them out it was now red. The algae looked like it was dying but after 3 days it was still on the plant? Anyone know how long before the algae will fall off?

 

[malkore]

may not have soaked long enough Fubie. when I dipped a bunch of dwarf sag. with beard algae, it came out white, and was gone within a couple days.

 

[Fubie]

Well malkore I lost the majority of the plants I dipped. The bleach was diluted at 20:1 but after the 3rd day the plants (anacharis) were all a translucent yellow. I decided to toss them out (thus getting ride of the remaining BBA attached) and rearrange my other Anacharis bunches. Is Anacharis that fragile of a plant?