TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
I used to do plastic and some silk plants for the 1st year I kept fish. Then I got into live plants. My plastic ones always got algae. I just pulled them out of the tank and into a bucket with 5% bleach and 95% water (a 1-19 ratio). I put the plants into the bucket of bleach water and let them six for about 2 maybe 3 minutes max. This will kill the algae but will not remove it.
After the bleach dip I rinse the plants in my tap water which is from my well so I never use dechlor in my tanks, but I do have some for specific uses. One of these is to add the dechlor to another bucket of clean water and give the bleached plants a dip in that after the rinse and I dip for at least 30 seconds. I overdose the dechlor.
Then the plants go back into the tank. I actually do this with live plants as well. However, not all plants can handle this. The more delicately leaved plants may not, so do a test dip and see how the plant does in the next day after putting back into the tank (after rinsing and dechloring it). I find that a 90 second dip for most plants is fine and, for those thicker leaved plants like anubias I will dip for 2 minutes or a tad longer. Too long in the bleach will harm or kill plants.
When I return the plants the algae has often turned grey. A lot of my fish will then eat it. If not. it comes off within a few days as it is dead.
After the bleach dip I rinse the plants in my tap water which is from my well so I never use dechlor in my tanks, but I do have some for specific uses. One of these is to add the dechlor to another bucket of clean water and give the bleached plants a dip in that after the rinse and I dip for at least 30 seconds. I overdose the dechlor.
Then the plants go back into the tank. I actually do this with live plants as well. However, not all plants can handle this. The more delicately leaved plants may not, so do a test dip and see how the plant does in the next day after putting back into the tank (after rinsing and dechloring it). I find that a 90 second dip for most plants is fine and, for those thicker leaved plants like anubias I will dip for 2 minutes or a tad longer. Too long in the bleach will harm or kill plants.
When I return the plants the algae has often turned grey. A lot of my fish will then eat it. If not. it comes off within a few days as it is dead.
