Adding new plants to established tank

[annewaldron]

Well, I already learned the hard way that you're not just putting plants in the tank, you're also adding in whatever piggybacked in on the plants!

I've read about a few different methods for getting unwanted creatures off the plants before adding them.

What's the best?

[jigabodo]

Originally Posted by annewaldron

Well, I already learned the hard way that you're not just putting plants in the tank, you're also adding in whatever piggybacked in on the plants!

I've read about a few different methods for getting unwanted creatures off the plants before adding them.

What's the best?

I learned the hard way too, haha. Now I always quarantine my new plants in a half a gallon jug for a week with double dose excel daily before I put them in.

[annewaldron]

Originally Posted by jigabodo

I learned the hard way too, haha. Now I always quarantine my new plants in a half a gallon jug for a week with double dose excel daily before I put them in.

What exactly constitutes a double dose of Excel for a half gallon jug? Does the double dose of excel kill stuff? Or is the thought that with no food supply for a week, whatever's on there will die?

I thought I remembered reading about doing a dip in a saltwater solution or something, but I read these things and then only half-remember them a month later when I need them!

[jigabodo]

Originally Posted by annewaldron

What exactly constitutes a double dose of Excel for a half gallon jug? Does the double dose of excel kill stuff? Or is the thought that with no food supply for a week, whatever's on there will die?

I thought I remembered reading about doing a dip in a saltwater solution or something, but I read these things and then only half-remember them a month later when I need them!

Well...it's not exact, but it's pretty close. The recommended excel dose is 1 ml of excel per 10 gallon, so 0.5 gallon double dose would be 0.1 ml right? A drop of liquid via a dropper is roughly 0.05 ml, so you can simply add 2 drops of excel.

[robotsongs]

I've been using a 1:20 bleach solution for 5 minutes and I haven't had any hitchhikers survive. It may be that I'm treating completely bare plants that never had critters to begin with, but it seems to have worked.

[This was a great thread as well, if you happen to have access to potassium permanganate.