Cleaning Aquarium Plants

[jlbfish]

I just returned from a 2 1/2 week vacation. My 75 gallon tank was covered with brown algae or something. I thought it was from the driftwood. After some reading I think it may be diatoms it is also in my 5 gallon and my 28 gallon only not as much.

My question is what is the fastest most effective way of getting it off of plastic aquarium plants? I don't want to wipe them down leaf by leaf.

Can I soak in a 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to get it off of them?

Thanks!
jana

 

[Chiroptera]

Bleach is generally a last resort cleaner - diatoms generally goes away on it's own over time, and you shouldn't have to do anything. If you need to, rinse them under hot water and rub them off, but I'd not bleach them for something this common, especially if they're going straight back in the tank.

 

[jlbfish]

I read that the diatom bloom is caused by silicates. I used pool filter sand in the aquarium that has it the worst. It is a silicate sand. Think that will go away eventually?

 

[Steelhawke]

Don't you have any oto's? That the easiest way, let them clean it for you. But, if you want to clean the plastic plants, yes, you can wash them in a mild bleach solution, after you you rice them real good, lay them out in the sun to dry for a few hours. Then before putting them back into the tank rice them off again in a bucket, bowl, whatever with water and Prime added to it. You will be fine.

 

[paytertot]

If you use bleach you have to soak them in water with like twice or 3x normal dose of prime until they don't smell like bleach anymore. I had to change the water out a couple times. But Chiroptera is right, they will go away. And its not a good idea to buy a fish just to clean something for you.

 

[Steelhawke]

Eating algae is what an oto does, it's his sole purpose in life, he's not doing your cleaning job, he is making the aquarium a more natural environment. Then, you don't have to worry about any chlorine

 

[paytertot]

Eating algae is what an oto does, it's his sole purpose in life, he's not doing your cleaning job, he is making the aquarium a more natural environment. Then, you don't have to worry about any chlorine

But if you have excessive algae, its being caused by something that needs fixed. There is a root to the problem and you can't just throw a new fish in your tank to avoid it.
Here, the problem is diatoms, which will go away.

 

[Steelhawke]

I agree that there was a problem, no regular tank maintenance, and yes, the bloom will go away, but, letting our little friends the otos help with it and helping with regular cleaning is not a bad thing. You make it sound like you should not keep a cleaning crew in an aquarium because it's your job to clean it. If you keep a well balanced tank, the only maintenance that you need to worry about is water changes and filter cleaning.

 

[paytertot]

I agree that there was a problem, no regular tank maintenance, and yes, the bloom will go away, but, letting our little friends the otos help with it and helping with regular cleaning is not a bad thing. You make it sound like you should not keep a cleaning crew in an aquarium because it's your job to clean it. If you keep a well balanced tank, the only maintenance that you need to worry about is water changes and filter cleaning.

That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that if you notice a problem, you need to find out what's causing it and fix it, or else the problem will still be there but the fish will be covering it up.

 

[jlbfish]

I am planning on getting some cories or otos or something eventually.

I was gone for vacation for 17 days so that could be why it looked so bad.

I am keeping an eye on it. My only concern is if it is the pool filter sand which is a silica sand (I think) and they come from silicates so I am not sure when I will add any cleaners for it.

I'm curious IF the silica sand eventually passes that stage or not.

Thanks all.

 

[Steelhawke]

I use play sand from Lowe's, which is also a silica sand and have had no problems with it.

 

[maxwellag]

Don't you have any oto's? That the easiest way, let them clean it for you. But, if you want to clean the plastic plants, yes, you can wash them in a mild bleach solution, after you you rice them real good, lay them out in the sun to dry for a few hours. Then before putting them back into the tank rice them off again in a bucket, bowl, whatever with water and Prime added to it. You will be fine.

It is never a good idea to buy animals to do a job. That doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it go away temporarily. Diatoms go away on their own eventually and can be manually removed with a brush or scrubber.

 

[paytertot]

It is never a good idea to buy animals to do a job. That doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it go away temporarily. Diatoms go away on their own eventually and can be manually removed with a brush or scrubber.

+1000 thank you lol