Quarantine tank for plants?

[rwilliams254]

I don’t want snails…at least not snail that I don’t put in there myself. Has anyone set up a quarantine tank for plants to make sure they don’t come with snails? Would a 5 gallon bucket do the job? Just sit the plants in there for a day or so and if you see snails pull them out…?

Thanks.

 

[geofied]

Just putting plants in a QT tank won't get rid of snails or their eggs. Snail eggs are pretty small and are easy to miss. Now if you put bait(fish food, algae wafer, etc.) in the QT bucket or tank, and use the following water treatment you should be free from snails.


A 2-day soak in 1 tbsp/gallon of alum (buy it at drug stores) is good for killing snails and their eggs. (from the Krib)

 

[rwilliams254]

Sweet!!!

I wonder if putting the plant in a colandar in a bucket with an alge wafer in the bucket would work even better. Then the snails would drop/go down through the holes and into the bucket, but not stay near the plant.

 

[geofied]

Could work for the moving snails. Eggs not so much, and that is your main concern. I've honestly never found snails in the plants that I've put in my tanks, but apparently the eggs were there. Not that I mind, most are dwarf puffer food, others are just cool, like the rams-horns and the MTS's that hitched in my last plant shipment.

 

[rwilliams254]

Hmmm...begs the question...what's the hatching time for eggs?

Thanks