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Re: Do you submerge plant roots during bleach treatment?

> From: stephanieac2001 at juno_com
> Subject: Do you submerge plant roots during bleach treatment?
> Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,
Yes, be sure to submerge the entire plant.  With some tender plants like
Val, only the plant base and the roots will remain, so it is better to cut
the leaves off first. Plants like Anubias stand up very well to the bleach
treatment.  You must check out Paul Kromholz's e-mails on the subject in the
archives if you haven't already.   He  is the master of this procedure.
See:
http://www.actwin.com/fish/aquatic-plants/month.9710/msg00153.html
http://www.actwin.com/fish/aquatic-plants/month.9803/msg00516.html

I had black beard algae, and the bleach method did the trick.  I don't think
the lime-it will be necessary if you use the bleach.  I was not too careful
about 6 months ago and now have green hair algae.  I am in the process of
bleaching everything again, hopefully for the last time.

So I also have some questions on the finer points of this procedure for this
group, and would appreciate any input.

1)  How do you quarratine the fish?  I imagine they eat algae and they can
pass it through their systems.  Do you isolate them in a sterile tank  for a
week.  By the end of the week the tank is no longer sterile?  Can they
recirculate the algae they excreted?  (OK, I just checked Paul's e-mail I
listed and he says this is not a concern)
2) What about the new tap water?  Can there be algae spores in the tap
water?  That would put a nail in the coffin of this entire procedure.  Can
water changes introduce new algae? (since Paul has had an algae free tank
since the 1960s, I'm guessing this is not a problem either).
3) I assume since Paul K. says that these spores can not survive drying that
an open top tank is no more susceptible to new algae contamination than a
tank with a tight lid.  Any input on this?
4) I think someone on the list recently mentioned using the old bleach to
sterilize dip nets.  I've seen this done at some LFSs.  But it seems strange
to have an open container of bleach solution with a net in it ready to tip
over in the house.  Does anyone have an ideas on making this more practical?
I can imagine myself carelessly using a net in two tanks and contaminating
the second tank.
5) How about grass shrimp?  Is it possible for Algae to grow on their shell
like it can grow on the shell of a turtle?

The hair algae is not overpowering the tank but I think it looks ugly.  I
tends to make the tank look dirty.  Some have suggested twirling it off with
a stick.  I do this with the Val.  I could not do it with the Lilaeopsis.
Every time I would try to lift of the algae it would cling enough to the
plants so that I was pulling up big clumps of it.  And I could don't get the
Lilaeopsis roots established back in the gravel.  By the next week I'd have
to pull more algae of it and pretty soon the Lilaeopsis was a total mess.
Although Anubias is quite sturdy the only way I could get all of the algae
off of the roots was to take the plant out of the tank.

I was at the AGA site today and after seeing all the beautiful algae free
tanks from last years competition, it made me want make this bleach attempt
work.

Steve Pituch