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  L# Using Bleach & Salt for plant cleaning in Aust
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SubscribeUsing Bleach & Salt for plant cleaning in Aust
keithgh
 
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*Ultimate Fish Guru*
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Registered: 26-Apr-2003
male australia au-victoria
Am I right in assuming the bleach for cleaning is White King and at 10% which seems rather strong.

Also at what strength would I use SeaSalt for plant cleaning

Keith

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Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile PM Edit Report 
trystianity
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Mega Fish
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female canada
An alternative to a bleach dip for decontaminating aquarium plants is to use either potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. Both are powerful oxidizing agents and work in a similar way. Be careful with this, an overdose of hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate could damage plant tissue.

Because hydrogen peroxide is easier to buy than potassium permanganate I like to use it as a dip for my plants. I originally tried this method out because I had used H2O2 as a dip for terrestrial plants to rid them of pests and also as a root treatment for rot so I reasoned that it would also work for aquatic plants as well. After dipping you might see some drooping in the newest leaves for a few days. IME they bounce back pretty quickly.

If you're going to use hydrogen peroxide, get the 3% stuff from a pharmacy, mix about 10-20 mL in a Litre of water (this is what I use, you can experiment with more or less of it), and dip your plants in for about 2 minutes. Spot check the treatment on a leaf first to be safe.

Here's an article from [link=http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=24]http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/articles.php?action=viewarticle&artid=24" style="COLOR: #36af30[/link] about plant dipping.

It is a good idea to disinfect all new plants before adding them to your fish tank. And, sometimes algae gets such an upper hand on your plants that they have to be removed and dip/bath treated. I will describe three dips, please pay attention to the words of caution also.


*Potassium Permanganate Dip

The first dip is milder and safer for the plants. It is a Potassium Permanganate dip. Potassium Permanganate is available at Sear's and Ace Hardware in the area where they sell water softener's and supplies. You can also purchase Potassium Permanganate from chemical supply companies, both local and online.

To prepare a disinfectant dip, use a bucket filled about 1/2 full of water. Add enough Potassium Permanganate to color the water a dark pink. This solution can be saved if covered, and it's a great way to store your nets and tools, soaking the this solution. Back to the dipping. To disinfect and kill most algae a 10-20 minute dip (more like bath) in Potassium Permanganate is very effective. Rinse the plants under tap water thoroughly and add dechlor to your tank...it neutralizes Potassium Permanganate too.

CAUTION: Potassium Permanganate is a strong powerful oxidizer. Treatment should be made outside the tank...it will kill your bio-filter. Like all chemicals you should wear protective eye wear and gloves. Potassium Permanganate will stain clothing, carpeting, skin, etc. Never combine Potassium Permanganate and Formalin, this will result in explosive results and dangerous gases.


*Bleach (Chlorine) Dip

This is a more effective and sure-fire way to kill algae. It is also very easy to kill the plant in the process. Regular household bleach (i.e. Clorox) is diluted to a 5% (19 parts water to 1 part bleach) solution in a bucket. It's good to have a second bucket filled with rinse water containing 3X the normal dechlor. Dip large leaf plants for 3 minutes, immediately move to the dechlor rinse water, then rinse under running tap water for a few seconds, if you still smell chlorine, repeat the rinse process again. For small delicate leaf plants and mosses dip for only 2 minutes in the bleach. To be safe, add dechlor to the tank after adding the plants back. Also, if your dipping a lot of plants you may need to add more dechlor to your rinse water.

Remember, the bleach dip is a last resort solution. It can and may kill your plants! Use the same caution handling bleach as recommended for Potassium Permanganate.


*Alum Dip

The Alum dip is more for killing microscopic bugs. Use at 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Soak the plant for at least an hour, longer soaks of 2 to 3 days are needed to kill snails and snail eggs. For snails and snails eggs a 2-3 hour soak in a stronger solution of 3 tablespoons per gallon of water is a better choice. Alum isn't nearly as effective as the prior two for killing algae. Alum is aluminum sulfate and Alum USP can be obtained from a compounding pharmacy or grocery stores. (It's usually with the spices, herbs and pickling supplies).


By, Steve Hampton


If you're going to use bleach, make sure you get the unscented stuff. You want just plain chlorine bleach.

Potassium permanganate should be available from either a pond/aquatic garden supply or a pharmacy. May be different in Australia.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile Homepage ICQ AIM MSN Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
bensaf
 
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male ireland
Bleach is incredibly tough on plants. A lot won`t survive the treatment or a least be severly knocked back. It`s a treatment of last resort for algae infestation and even then should not be attempted more then once per year on a plant.

Salt and plants is not a good mix.

Think about it. The chances of introducing something into your tank via the plants is very slim. It`s almost a certainty that the treatment will cause some stress or damage to the plant.

To me the most cautious methdod is to put the plant in untreated not the other way round.


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Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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