Bleach Dip (how long)

[Fish Breath]

I have a bunch of Riccia that has alot of algae growing with it. I want to dip this to remove the algae.
Can anyone tell me how long to dip this in a 1/20th bleach dip. I know some plants are hardier then others in a bleach dip ,but I dn't know how hardy the Riccia is . My understanding is some plant get dipped for 2 minutes and some only a minute.
Also can any one reccomend a site where there are pictures of different algaes, so I can identify the algae I have
Thanks
F B

 

[AquaJoe]

I would not ever dip my aquarium in bleach, ever. I'm sorry if I came off as being ignorant just then. I just think it's a really bad idea.

If you are desperate enough to get rid of the algae where you are willing to go to the extent of emptying out the entire aquarium then I would suggest just buying a box of aquarium salt (or equivalent), mix it at the rate of roughly 1.5 TBS per 5 gallons of water and use this solution to wipe down your aquarium. Then used dechlorinated water to rinse out the aquarium once you are done cleaning it. Be sure to clean the gravel, decor, filter etc etc as well. If the algae is being a real pain try using an algae sponge to wipe it away.....

It seems like you are really desperate to get rid of the algae.. What are you going to do with your fish while you are re-cycling the tank? Could you solve this problem another way? Get a snail, pleco... etc?

Best of luck to you.

Joe

 

[Fish Breath]

I would not ever dip my aquarium in bleach, ever. I'm sorry if I came off as being ignorant just then. I just think it's a really bad idea.

Joe

AquaJoe I intend to only dip the clump of ricca which has the algae growing amongst it. I would not use salt as I have alot of plants in my aqaurium.
The algae is mostly on the clump of Ricca as it floats directly under the light, the rest of the tank is not to bad. I do appreciate your input and thoughts
thanks

 

[greenmaji]

malkore posted this link in another thread, he said he uses it to identify algae..
http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=9

Im clueless on bleach dipping though.. did you do a search on here and google?

 

[travis simonson]

Bleach dips work amazingly well to rid plants of algae although I have to admit I've never dipped Riccia before and am curious to see how it reacts to the bleach. I would recommend going easy the first time you dip it just to make sure you don't zap it

Here's my bleach method:

Mix water:bleach in a 19:1 ratio (5% bleach solution) in a bowl (I use 4 3/4 cups water to 1/4 cup bleach in a good sized bowl). Mix another bowl of water with ten times the normal amount of dechlorinator in it to dip the bleached plants in after they have been dipped. This will neutralize the chlorine from the bleach on the plants before you reintroduce them to your tank. Dip the affected plants in the bleach solution for 1 - 2 1/2 minutes (try just one minute for the Riccia the first time). After dipping rinse with tap water then dip in the dechlorinator solution and swish it around a bit. Stick back in tank. You will likely still see some of algae clinging to the plant but at this point it is likely dead and will often turn white and fall off in a short time. If, after a day or so, it appears that the algae is still growing on the plant then re-dip it for a longer duration.

IME most plants deal well with a two minute bleach dip but again, I would be a little more careful with Riccia. Good luck and let us know how things go

 

[malkore]

Travis covered it all. I can only add that if you have plants like ambulia, cabomba, foxtail, rotala wallichi...only dip these for 30 seconds. any longer and you'll kill the plant.
And as a cautionary note, any heavy root feeders, I'd try to keep their roots out of the bleach solution, just in case they try to soak some up.

 

[Fish Breath]

Thanks all people for your thoughts I am going to try a 30 second dip then another in a week or two if that doesn't do it

 

[greenmaji]

Good Luck