What is the max time to soak plants in Alum. My first batch has been soaking for two days. I wanted to add the plants I got today. Or should I just rinse the first batch and start over with the second?
Never heard of that product before. What a lot of people use for snails is a quick bleech dip. Mix some bleech and water and dip the plants in it. Then rinse off.
Isn't that the stuff that Jerry put in Tom's mouth to keep from being eaten?
From Wikipedia:
Alum powder, found amongst spices at most grocery stores, is used in pickling recipes as a preservative, to maintain crispness, and as an ingredient in some play dough recipes. It is also commonly cited as a home remedy or pain relief for canker sores.
I do not know what Alum is but I tried Aluminum Sulfate before. I was supposed to soak the plants for 10 min, I even tried 30 min, and I still have snails. The eggs were not killed.
Aluminum Sulfate or Alum is used on my other forum sites The soaking must be for 48hr. I just thought to ask if any one else had soaked it for longer. I have gotten plants from people who state they have pond snails and to date I have had note.
When I have gotten plants from odd sources I use potassium permanganate to kill parasites and bacteria. Can kill some algae also. Jungle make a weaker version of this in the Water Clear product. But I use the pond version it is stronger.
Why not use PP for snails also. Just make a strong solution (deep dark purple) and soak the plant for awhile. It's supposed to kill snail eggs also, but I found that it stains the snail eggs very well that it can easily be spotted to be removed.
Alum is also useful. Get "Alum U.S.P." at the drug store. Soak the plants in a gallon of water that has up to 10 teaspoons of Alum. The Alum kills microscopic bugs. Longer soaks (2-3 days) will kill snail eggs and/or snails.
quoted from: http://faq.thekrib.com/snails.html
lots of recepies for this, I usualy soak mine overnight. Eventualy I gae up and have snails in my tanks, they really don't bother me anymore. You can find it in your local grocery store in the spice section.
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