Alum Plant Soak?

[FishFixation]

I am expecting some plants to arrive sometime next week, and I want to make sure that the only thing I'm putting into my tank is plants, not plants AND snails. I don't like snails, and I don't want them in my tank.

I understand that there are basically three options for de-snailing plants:

1. Bleach - Fast and convenient, but HARSH and risky. Some sites say you can't dip the roots. I'd rather not risk killing my plants by dipping them in something as caustic as bleach.
2. Potassium Permanganate - Safer for the plants, but not readily available... I'm not sure where I'd find it since the only LFS that I have nearby are the chain stores.
3. Alum - Slower, but also safer for the plants. Also convenient because I happen to have some alum on hand.

Because it's not as dangerous to the plants, I'm inclined to go with the alum, but I'm confused about how concentrated I need to make the solution and how long I need to soak the plants in order to be sure that I am snail-free. When I search the internet for more information, I basically keep coming across these same few sentences:

"Use at 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Soak the plant for at least an hour, longer soaks of 2 to 3 days are needed to kill snails and snail eggs. For snails and snails eggs a 2-3 hour soak in a stronger solution of 3 tablespoons per gallon of water is a better choice."

So which is it? Is the 2-3 hour soak in the 3 tbsp/gallon solution sufficient to kill snails and snail eggs, or do I need to soak the plants for 2-3 days? Are both methods equally effective?

Those of you who use the alum method, what is your recipe... and have you had good success?

Thanks.

 

[Lab_Rat]

I don't really measure the alum, I just dump some into a bowl and add plants. I dip for several hours minimum, and if I see snails or eggs then I will dip for 2 days or so. It's worked really well so far. I have no pest snails in most of my tanks (only in the 5g where I've had them for years).

 

[FishFixation]

Hm... two days? Do you shine a light on them or anything while they're soaking?

I'm perhaps a little too impatient for that, especially since I'm going out of town next week and my plants probably won't arrive until Friday or Saturday. I still don't want to bleach them, although they'd probably survive since it's all anubias and java ferns.

Maybe I should look around for the potassium permanganate this week. I wonder if my local PETCO still sells Jungle's Clear Water... Where else could I find it? Hardware store? I don't have time to order it online...

 

[FishFixation]

In case anyone is wondering, I was not able to find potassium permanganate in any form at 2 LFS or at my nearby ACE hardware (and when I asked they looked at me like I was going to build a bomb with it), but my local Wal*Mart (which doesn't have a terribly impressive fish section) DOES carry Jungle Clear Water, which is PP in solution. I got the last bottle for around $2.75. Now I'm ready for my plants to arrive this week! Yay!