Can plants carry disease?

[LMOUTHBASS]

Do you guys quarantine new plants? Can they carry disease to fish? I usually wash mine in hot water before adding them but is this enough - ?
Thanks?


I might pick some up tonight so I'm curious i never thought about this before

 

[MikeO]

I don't see why they could not, I am not a plant expert, but if the plant comes from a tank that has some disease in it, why could it not carry it. Think about this, can any other object we deal with each day carry a disease? if some one in your house has the flu, do you want to be using the same stuff they use.

I don't know about washing the plants in hot water, I would think that that would work, but could that not hurt the plants, if you have a quarantine tank I would say do about a week or 2 in there.

 

[A7ESF]

Likewise, it may not be the plants that carry the disease, but the hitch hikers that come along with the plant that may carry the disease.

 

[LMOUTHBASS]

ok so does anyone suggest washing the plants first - what about bleaching them? i've read this before is this safe - can the bleach touch the plants roots or only the leaves? - thanks

 

[Harlock]

BASS - http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/search.php?searchid=127626
That's a search of Bleach Dip in the Aquatic Plants forum. It comes up there fairly often, search through those hits and you should find what you need. In summation: a 19:1 solution of water to bleach, dip plant for 2 minutes, keep roots out. Big warning: Some plants do not take a bleach dip well and may die and pollute the crud out of your tank. You can find those in the search.