dipping new plants.....

[pennykate]

I am getting some new plants today...i have been told that you can use "alum" as a dip.....does anyone know the ratio: alum to water.....and for how long should it sit??
thank you for the help!!!!
ellie (pennykate)

[Tempest]

I don't have a clue on any official version but I used about a tablespoon in a quart of water and soaked the plants for three days. These plants came from a snail infested tank several months ago and the dip must have worked because I haven't seen any snails.

[pennykate]

thank you tempest....that is good to know and i will try that...it does sound logical...
ellie

[djlen]

For an alum bath it's 1 tsp. per gal. of water. Two hours to kill snails, overnight to kill snails and their eggs. Rinse well and you're good to go.
BTW, I have found it to be mild for all the plants I've soaked. No damage to plants at all.
Len

[pennykate]

thank you.....i guesss i will do a 24 hour soak...no sense in killing just the snails and not the eggs.....thank you all..
ellie

[nanahachi]

Originally posted by djlen
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4387
Two weeks minimum. To be on the safe side four weeks.
Some people dip into a solution of 19:1 bleach. 19parts water, 1part bleach. But the quarrentine is much less radical if you have patience.
If you don't want snails, pick up some Alum at your pharmacy. 1 tbsp. per gallon of water. You can soak just about anything over night in this mixture. Will kill all snails
Len

So far, I personally have used a 20:1 water/bleach mix with good results. I soak the plants for about 5-10 mins. While I haven't had any probs so far, maybe I'll pick some "Alum" up. Is that the full name of the product? I did a quick search, but still dont know what it is exactly.

thanks for recommendation and any help!

[kveeti]

You'll find Alum in the grocery store, spices isle - maybe pickling items, as it's used to make pickles crisp.

The container just says alum powder (it's white). The ingredients (too small print) has the full name aluminum potassium sulfate.

[Mgamer20o0]

how bad are snails on the plants? should you just kill them or can you leave them on?

[djlen]

I can't think of too many things that can go into an aquarium that I despise, but snails are definitely one of them. If there is so much as one on a newly acquired plant, in a few week there'll be tons of them in your tank. If you don't want snails, use the Alum.
You can also find it at some pharmacies.
BTW, the reference in that thread that said, "1 tbsp. of Alum" was another one of my famous mind locks. The correct dosage is 1 tsp. of Alum per gallon.
Len

[Tempest]

-Djlen.. I couldn't find a reference myself on the alum so I used a tablespoon in a quart with no harm. Maybe I overcrisped the plants? Heehees

[kveeti]

I've always gone by this site
http://www.intellweb.com/gcka/sterileplants.htm

Use 1 tablespoon of alum per gallon of water. Soak the plants a minimum of 20 minutes, up to a maximum of 2 hours. A two-day soak will kill snails and their eggs. Avoid using this method on extremely fragile plants.

[djlen]

I've been using a tsp, but the stuff is so mild I really don't think it matters much.
I just consulted my reference area and it turns out it IS 1 tbsp. per gallon. Use whatever turns you on. LOL
Seriously it is 1tbsp.
Len

[anonapersona]

Aquabotanic guide to disinfecting aquarium plants (http://www.aquabotanic.com/disinfect.htm)

[djlen]

Interesting......that one says 10 teaspoons. I know it's effective and safe between 1 tsp. and 1 tablespoon. I wouldn't go any higher than that.
Len