Moving plants to new tank - best way to remove algae/snails?

[Kilgore]

Hello,

I will be setting up my new 46-gallon aquarium (actually it is used, but sat in storage for 5 years) next weekend. I currently have a 25-gallon tank, and I intend to move both the fish and plant occupants to the new setup.

The problem is that my plants currently have a lot of algae growing on them (I have posted on this issue previously but have yet to resolve it). I have brown algae (supposedly due to the fact that my 25-gallon is new and has silicates on the glass), green algae, and thread algae. I suspect it is a pH/KH/CO2 issue as they are not balanced. Due to ultra-low KH, the pH crashes from 6.8 to 6.0 if I turn off aeration, but obviously using the aeration decreases CO2 for the plants. I intend to resolve this issue in my new tank by adding crushed coral to the filter and DIY CO2. Also, there will be less overcrowding in the new tank, which should help the organic overload issue.

Anyway, how can I get the algae, and a few snails, off my plants before moving them without killing the plants? Should I just try to rub the leaves gently or should I soak the plants in a solution of _____________? Please advise, as I would like to give the plants an edge in the new tank over the algae.

FYI, the 46-gallon will have 60 watts regular flourescent (two 30 watt bulbs) and 65 watts compact flourescent. Is this too much light? I am trying to find a balance between low light that melts the plants, and too much light that will require expensive CO2 injection.

 

[malkore]

bleach dip.

19 parts water, 1 part bleach

dip the plant for 60-180 seconds, based on the hardiness of the plant.

i.e. java ferns and anubias can go 3 mins, but ambulia, cabomba...anything 'frilly' or fine leaved, go for 60 secs.

I then rinse in triple dechlor'd water for a couple minutes. make sure you wash yer hands before re-planting to avoid chlorine transfer.

As for your lighting... 60watts + 65 watts = 125watts, divided by 40 gals, that's about 3wpg. You'll definitely require CO2 injection, or it'll just be another unmanagable algae mess.

Stay under 2watts per gallon if you want to avoid needign CO2 injection. A solid 1.5wpg will grow a nice variety of plants, and using some Flourish Excel will help you keep some low/medium light plants, as well as keep algae at bay.

 

[Kilgore]

Thanks for the tips, Malkore. So I am assuming that a bleach dip will kill the algae and snails, but not the plants.... will the alage I can't remove manually just gradually die and fall off in the new tank? Will that be a problem?

The reason I was planning on doing so much light was that before, I only had 30 watts on the 25 gallon tank (1.2 watts per gallon), and most of my plants just melted and fell apart. So I would like to find a happy medium where the plants do moderately well, the algae is not out of control, and DIY CO2 will suffice. I have the Nutrafin CO2 canister but I have not yet used it because of low KH and pH crashing issues.

I guess I will start with just the two single fixtures for a total of 60 watts and see how the plants fare... I can always add the second fixture later.