unwanted hitchhikers

Dan H said:

Thanks
i'm not to worried about the snails im keeping them in check,
but i'm just worried what will be lerking on the next plant i buy
what is Potassium permanganate dip? and where do i get it?

Click to expand...

BoCoMo said:

Here is one article I have found. I wonder how many people would be interested in a dip for their plants... I will call Seachem on this.

http://www.aquajake.com/blog/planti...planting/disinfecting-plants-before-or-after/

Click to expand...

Potassium Permanganate- Or, “PP”, can be found online, at Sears in the water filter section ( Kenmore Potassium Permanganate, used to regenerate manual iron removal filters), and maybe in a few other places like Ace Hardware. You can almost always find some on Ebay if nothing else. Also, Jungle’s Clear Water product, available at your local Walmart, is nothing but a strong solution of potassium permanganate and water if you can’t find any other source.
You add just a few grains of this to a container or sink and then add the water. It takes it a little while to dissolve, but no big deal. Your goal is to get a good dark pink tint to the water. Once you get it a good dark pink ( but not light pink, not dark purple), add the plants and give them a bath for a good 15 to 20 minutes or so. After that, drain and add fresh water. Stir in some dechlorinator or hydrogen peroxide, both of which will neutralize PP. You can go heavy on the dechlorinator, but don’t go overboard on the hydrogen peroxide. Rinse plants again, quickly, and they should be ready. *READ CAUTION AT BOTTOM OF PAGE*


Pros - Just as cheap as bleach. Even a tiny 6 oz. container of the stuff will last indefinitely. Much safer than bleach yet still very effective for some algae and most bacteria. I usually have snails fall off plants in this bath as well as killing snail eggs. VERY good for use as a net/equipment dip when using nets or other equipment in more than one tank, to prevent spread of anything.
Cons - Not as easy to find as bleach is. Can stain clothing, carpeting, etc. if splashed.

Click to expand...