Disinfecting Newly Acquired Aquarium Plants

Disinfecting Newly Acquired Aquarium Plants


New plants may have unwanted hitchers: snails, algae or disease. Disinfection can help reduce their transmission into the tank, and can be used to remove algae growths from established plants. Beware, there is always a danger of going too far and damaging the plant itself.


Here are some steps:

1. Soaked to a white vinegar for 2 minutes then rinse with aged water thoroughly.

2. A ten minute soak in potassium permanganate (pale purple) works well; it is available in dilute form from Jungle products as "Clear Water". Permanganate is particularly good for killing bacteria and pathogens.

3. A 2-day soak in 1 tbsp/gallon of alum (buy it at drug stores) is good for killing snails and their eggs.

4. If the plants are kept in a fish-free system for three weeks, parasites like ich and velvet will die without their fish hosts.

5. A soak in a 1:19 diluted bleach solution; 2 minutes for stem plants, 3 minutes for tougher plants. Make sure to remove all traces of bleach afterwards by rinsing with water and de-chlorinator. This method can kill your plants, so use only as a last resort against algae.

Select any of the steps that you are comfortable doing.