Bleaching Plants.

[DennisP]

Can someone tell me how to bleach them?

How long in the bucket?

concentration

etc etc

Is it save for congo fern?

cheers.

[Jennifer]

1:20 dilution with plain (non-detergent) bleach. Leave the plants in for 5 to 15 minutes. Waxy leaf plants like anubias can withstand longer durations whereas mosses really only can handle a minute. Most of the common plants can handle a good 10 minutes but the leaves of congo fern are more tender and crispy so I would only leave them in for 2 to 5 minutes.

[breakaway]

I just bleached a couple of my plants. Worked really well.

I rinsed them with the garden hose for about 20 minutes, and it still smelled like bleach/chlorine, so I unloaded a good amount of stress coat (dechlorinator) into it, and it no longer smells like chlorine. I'm going to change the water tonight and add more stress coat to be safe, then I'm going to put the plants back in.

It absolutely decimated all the hair algae and traces of staghorn btw.

[Jennifer]

I rinsed them with the garden hose for about 20 minutes, and it still smelled like bleach/chlorine....

I have been bleach dipping plants for years and I only ever just rinse them and pop them in a bucket of fresh water for 20 minutes then pop them in the tank. They don't usually smell like bleach anymore after the soaking in water. Honestly, I have done this with all sorts of fish including discus and have never had the slightest of issues. I do commend you though for being so thorough. You can never be too careful.

[breakaway]

There's a chance that it smelled like bleach due to the fact there's a relatively high amount of chlorine in my water supply. Better safe than sorry