Do You Quarantine Plants?

[fischfan13]

Anytime I get a new plant I quarantine the plant...well, kind of.
I will take the new plant(s) and place them in a bag with fresh cold heavily salted water...usually for about two days.

Anyone else QT plants?

[CJC]

I used to before the Snails invaded. I would do it just to make sure I wouldn't get Snails. Unfurtunately it was 2 Fronts I picked up from a LFS yrs ago.

[BlondeFishGal]

Yep, I do.

It's amazing what you can bring in on plants....even stages of Ick.

In most LFS, they sell plants in tanks that do not house fish. Hobbyists, however, always have fish in with their plants.

There used to be a product called Lime It which was just clarified lime. You mixed 1 ouce with 6 ounces of water, let the plants soak for about 15 to 20 minutes, rinse with freshwater, and then you could introduce the plants right to you tank. THe product would kill snails and their eggs, and lots of other nasties that might be hanging on the plants but you could use it with just about all plants, even delicate ones.

But like I said, it is just clarified lime.

I treat plants and Q everything. Just can never see a downside to doing so. I never want to be one of those hobbyist who have a 'horror story' to tell from NOT quarantining something. So far, 9+ years and I don't have any to tell. ;)

[joe_jaskot]

You can soak most hardy plants in a bleach solution (one part bleach to ten parts water) for 2-3 minutes. This will rid the plants of unwanted organisms and even kills algae on the plant.

[emartin]

I always here of people soaking plants in for a few minutes in Potassium permangranate and that supposedly kills everything but the plant...

You can find it at Sears, Hardware Stores, or just buy Jungle Clear Water since that is it (or is the main ingredient)

http://www.aquajake.com/blog/planting-the-tank/preparing-a-plant-for-planting/disinfecting-plants-before-or-after/
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/potperm.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5505892_treat-pond-plants-potassium-permanganate.html

I never used the stuff before so I have no idea how effective it is... Seems to be the easiest to dose though...

[BlondeFishGal]

Yup, there are several ways to treat/Q plants, but do folks do it? See, that's the real interesting question ;)

As I have said, I treat plants and Q all fish, always, always.

I have 10+ tanks, from 90 gallons to 225 gallons. So if I have to treat a big tank, it's going to be more difficult (plants, rocks, wood, never sure of displaced water volume so dosage is always a bit iffy), and much more expensive. Plus, I would have really FREAKED if I woke up and saw in one of my tanks, 12 of my big adult discus sick, dying or dead. I mean, this Blonde would have cried her eyes out!! :sad-smiley-002:

The "+" in the 10+ tanks I mentioned is that I have smaller tanks in the cabinets under most of my big tanks. I use them for Q, breeding, grow out, etc. I don't include them in my count of my tanks b/c they are used as needed, not always stocked with fish. If i include them in the count, I have 17 tanks.

I started in the hobby with a 90 gallon planted discus tank. THe LFS that I went to spent HOURS with me to go over stuff like cycling a tank, water changes, how to set up and change canister filters, stuff to use for plants, how to rig up CO2 and understand bubble counts, etc., and one of the the things they told me was to always Q new fish and treat plants. I just learned it as a basic in fish keeping from them and so I just do it as SOP.

Kinda anal about Q, can you tell? :becky:

[emartin]

All plants I have every bought from an LFS were in tanks with a pH of exactly 6. My tanks are in the 8.6-8.9pH range, so I never bothered to quarantine or treat them. However I did get a snail breakout in my 265g but luckily they weren't the MTS snails, just normal dwarf pond snails that the fish love eating whenever one ventures out of an overflow into the main tank. I did treat the sump with copper and ammonia once and the overflows with ammonia....that wiped them out but there must've been some snail eggs in the main tank since they came back. After that I just gave up and just pull them out when I clean the sump and feed to the fish...

Plus the 265g has a 25watt UV sterilizer on it...

[TwoTankAmin]

That bleach mix should be more like 19-1, and even that will not be tolerated by certain more dainty plants. The PP will work also. As for the salt, there are some plants that react badly to it and may not survive.

[joe_jaskot]

Thanks for correcting me on the bleach mixture. It is one part bleach to 19 parts water.

[emartin]

What do you guys do after treating the plants with chemicals like bleach, etc? Do you soak them for a few hours in fresh water, or just rinse them, or what?

I don't plan on starting a planted tank any time soon but I'd might as well treat plants from now on since I was lucky the snail outbreak in the 265g wasn't a MTS outbreak...

[Buckcich]

Thank you guys (and gals) for posting the recipe to Q plants. I didn't know that

[BlondeFishGal]

What do you guys do after treating the plants with chemicals like bleach, etc? Do you soak them for a few hours in fresh water, or just rinse them, or what?

I don't plan on starting a planted tank any time soon but I'd might as well treat plants from now on since I was lucky the snail outbreak in the 265g wasn't a MTS outbreak...

I can only speak on the lime, b/c that is what I use. After soaking for 15 minutes or so, i rinse in freshwater for about 5 minutes with water running and my fingers going over the leaves and stuff as if i was 'clearning them' and that's it. They get planted ;)

[Buckcich]

Alesia I need a clarification. Lime, is that regular lime you would spread on the the lawn to "sweeten" the soil so grass grows nicer?

[TwoTankAmin]

I use the 19-1 bleach dip for 90 seconds. After that they get a rinse under my tap (well water so no chlorine). Next they get dropped into bucket of water with a good dose of dechlor in it and then go into the tank.

If you think a given plant may be too delicate to handle the bleach, test it by dipping only one plant or leaf from a plant and see how it does. Water sprite doesn't like bleach dips for ex.

[BlondeFishGal]

Alesia I need a clarification. Lime, is that regular lime you would spread on the the lawn to "sweeten" the soil so grass grows nicer?

Can't say if it is lawn lime, I have no idea how to maintain a lawn ;)
and I surely know even less about TYPES of lime (except key lime that goes into my pies) :becky:

But the lime to which I refer is called hydrated lime.

BTW, I think the other suggestions are fine, too, and as we know, there are many ways to do the same thing in the hobby. Most of you guys seem to keep pretty 'tough' plants with your fish, whereas I have some red plants with leaves like tissue paper. So if what you are doing works, or the bleach thing is easier for you, etc. that's cool.

[Buckcich]

Thanks Alesia. I would check in my yard shed if it's the same