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Is it safe to soak driftwood in the bleach solution (1:19)? I would like to remove some algae off some of my java ferns, moss and anubias but they are attached to driftwood. Would the driftwood absorb much of the bleach solution if soaked for about 3-4 mins?

It is perfectly fine to treat the driftwood with bleach. Before you do anything though, i would remove the plants off of the driftwood before treating the driftwood. I will tell you how i do it. I put water in a 5 gallon bucket(enouph to cover the wood). I then put the bleach in so it will be about a little bit less than 10% of the mixture. I also add a great deal of salt to it. You could also use the salt by itself if you would rather not use harsh chemicals. Both ways work. After the wood is free of the algae, i soak it in dechlorinated water for 1 day. After that i let it dry out for 5-7 days.

Why let it dry out? Then you've gotta sink it again!

Drying may help ensure that the hypchlorite from the bleach has evaporated off.

oh I wasn't asking about removing algae off of driftood, I want to remove the algae off the plants that are attached to the driftwood. No way am I gonna pull the plants off the driftwood and re-tie it. Waited too long for them to attach naturally to remove. Needless to say I won't be able to allow the driftwood and plant to dry off for a few days.

My LFS recommended a Dwarf Oto (Otocinclus affinis) for cleaning plants - they're small, peaceful and inoffensive (very cool fish), and they use them themselves for cleaning their own plants...

Mine is a decent little algae eater, and he loves eating specifically off plant leaves :-)

thank you, but I already have otos and SAEs in the tank. It's the green crusty algae that grows on the slow growing plants (java ferns and anubias) that the algae eaters can't take care of, so I have to resort to the bleach method..heh

wouldnt bleaching destroy the plants??

The green crusty stuff is what I'm thinking of - and I know my Oto loves it.. Although I don't own any java fern, so that might be it :-)


Bleach won't kill plants providing its diluted, and they're not exposed for too long.

If you want to bleach the plants but not the driftwood I'd suggest using a clean towel to "paint" the bleach solution on the plants, or find some way to allow the plants to soak in the bleach solution without having the driftwood in it you'll be good to go.
If your driftwood gets into the bleach solution you'll need an extended dechlor process since wood is porus and is likely to absorb and hold onto the bleach solution.

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