disinfecting creeping jenny plants

[aywireH]

I've recently picked up some creeping jenny for my Koi pond and, as usual, I give my plants a disinfecting before adding them to the water.

Normally, I'd use Blagdon Pond Disinfectant - 25ml in 10 litres of water, which I assumed was a bleach-based product. However, these disinfectants have vanished from the market, leaving me with no choice but to use thin bleach, which doesn't come with any guidelines for disinfecting plants.

After a quick Google search, I decided to try a 1 part bleach to 19 parts water mix in a 10-litre bucket for the creeping jenny. Unfortunately, the plant's now shrivelled up and appears to be dying. Can anyone advise on the correct bleach ratio per 10 litres to disinfect creeping jenny without killing it?

[TankWarrior]

I've had Creeping Jenny in a rock garden area that's always moist. It's taken over, actually. There's another plant, Sedum, that grows in the same spot and it's getting hard to tell them apart. We just let the garden do its thing and the plants cover everything.

[barbsforlife]

I've always had a thing about snails, so I've been disinfecting my plants before adding them to the tank - I know they're beneficial, but I just can't help it. I've tried various methods, including bleach, but the plants often suffer or a snail egg or two will manage to survive.

Then I stumbled upon "reverse respiration". It's a pre-treatment that involves soaking plants in carbonated water overnight, nothing else. The idea is that the CO2 pressure is lethal to anything non-plant, but plants can tolerate it just fine - in fact, it seems to be beneficial. After a 12-hour dip in carbonated water, any parasites, snails, and even snail eggs are destroyed, with no harm to the plants. It even kills algae, but leaves the plants unscathed. I gave it a try and it worked like a charm - no damage to the plants whatsoever. If you Google "reverse respiration", you'll find some info on aquarium websites, including the site of the hobbyists who developed this method. Their research was thorough, and I've got to say, I'm impressed. The method is simple, safe for plants, lethal to everything else, and cheap - all you need is a bottle of carbonated water.

I genuinely don't get why this hasn't caught on more - it's a game-changer. I'm definitely doing this with all my plants from now on.

[graye]

I'll try to answer your question - you wouldn't be using the plant if you didn't know about it. I've never been a fan of disinfecting or bleaching plants, it just seems unnecessary. You're not going to get snails from a terrestrial plant, and anything that might be on the plant can be washed off with a garden hose. If there's any insecticide residue, it's not like bleach is going to fix that. Roots are easy to clean, so I don't see the point in stressing the plant.

It'll adjust to its new wet environment, I'm sure. I've been adding wild and greenhouse plants to my tanks for decades, and I've never had any issues with them. No disinfection needed.

[aywireH]

I'm more worried about parasites like gill and body flukes that could decimate my entire stock if they're on the plant. I've no experience with this reverse respiration method, so I'd rather stick with what I know - bleach treatment. However, I'm unsure of the correct dosage to use.

[oldsage]

I came across a blog post by Bruce Plant that provides instructions on bleach dipping for aquatic plants. I'm still in the process of researching this topic and haven't had a chance to verify the information. I'm trying to avoid introducing any unwanted critters into my tank, so I'm looking for reliable methods to disinfect my plants.

[graye]

I've come across an old-school method that might interest you - the old timers used to swear by potassium permanganate dips for disinfecting plants. Now, I'm curious, are you working with terrestrial creeping jenny that's not yet acclimated to water, or have you got plants that are already adapted to aquatic life?

[aywireH]

I'll try to answer your question - you wouldn't be using the plant if you didn't know about it. I've never been a fan of disinfecting or bleaching plants, it just seems unnecessary. You're not going to get snails from a terrestrial plant, and anything that might be on the plant can be washed off with a garden hose. If there's any insecticide residue, it's not like bleach is going to fix that. Roots are easy to clean, so I don't see the point in stressing the plant.

It'll adjust to its new wet environment, I'm sure. I've been adding wild and greenhouse plants to my tanks for decades, and I've never had any issues with them. No disinfection needed.

I got the creeping jenny from a pond plant supplier, so they were likely in water already - came in those standard perforated black plastic pots you use in ponds.

I've looked into Potassium permanganate, but Kusuri's literature suggests it's not enough on its own to get rid of flukes, so you'd need something else alongside it. That makes me think it's not as effective as bleach for disinfecting (check the image I attached).

Has anyone here used bleach on their pond plants? What dosage did you use?

[aywireH]

I came across a blog post by Bruce Plant that provides instructions on bleach dipping for aquatic plants. I'm still in the process of researching this topic and haven't had a chance to verify the information. I'm trying to avoid introducing any unwanted critters into my tank, so I'm looking for reliable methods to disinfect my plants.

I came across the blog post and it seems Bruce Plant recommends a 1:20 bleach-to-water ratio, which is roughly what I tried and unfortunately, it didn't work out for the plant.

I'm starting to think I should go back to using a similar amount of bleach as I did with the Blagdon Pond Disinfectant, which was 25ml in 10 litres of water. That way, I might avoid killing the plants while still disinfecting them.

[TwinTankman]

Two observations - One, the duration of the dip is crucial. Not all plants can handle the bleach dip, so be cautious.

I've found that dipping anubias for 2 minutes works well. Other plants can take around 90 seconds, while the more delicate ones should be limited to 60 seconds. The more fragile the plant, the higher the risk it won't react well to the dip. When in doubt, test a small piece first to see how it responds.

Keep in mind that some algae will die immediately from the dip, while others might appear unaffected but will eventually die within a few hours of being returned to the tank. Interestingly, many algae-eating fish seem to enjoy feeding on dead algae.

After dipping, I rinse the plants under the tap, then transfer them to a bucket of water with a heavy dose of dechlorinator to remove any remaining chlorine. From there, it's safe to add them to the tank.

The ideal bleach-to-water ratio is 1 part to 19 parts. If you're concerned about chlorine or chloramine in your tap water, consider using distilled water or mixing it 50/50 with your tap water. Alternatively, collect rainwater for this purpose.