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Re: Bleach treatments
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>The bleach method seems to me to be flawed. If the plants survive a bleach
>dip then what is to prevent algae from surviving the same dip? Algae seem
>to be a pretty hardy little form of plant life.
>
>Letís assume that the total bleach treatment does work. When you introduce
>a new fish into the aquarium, even with quarantine, what is to prevent
>algae spores from the quarantine tank from getting into your "sterile"
>tank? I would think it would only take a spore or two to get things going
>and those spores could journey across on your net, on the fish, on your
>hands, etc... I don't know if any or all algae spores are airborne or not
>but it seems feasible.
>
I invented the bleach treatment back in the late 60's to get rid of
persistant types of hair algae, such as Cladophora and Oedogonium, that are
too tough for ramshorn snails to eat. These species refused to go away for
me, and they looked very ugly, especially Oedogonium, which covers the
plants with 1/4 inch long firmly attached hairs that collect debris. In 20
years I have not seen these types of hair algae come back after the bleach
treatment. The reproductive cycles of these types of algae are discussed
in botany texts, and they do not have resistant spores. They spread mostly
vegetatively and sometimes by flagellated cells which are not resistant,
are not produced abundantly, and are not in the water for a long time
before attaching. Hair algae always gets in a tank on a new plant or as
floating filaments in the water with a new fish. I have always given the
bleach treatment to plants I bought, and it successfully eliminated the
'black beard' type of algae on some plants I got two years ago. I also got
rid of for good a type of red algae that attaches to leaves and a long
hair-like, unbranched filamentous variety that may have been Rhizoclonium.
When I get fish I put them in an unplanted quarantine tank for a few days
before moving them into a planted aquarium. The treatment has worked very
well for me in eliminating those varieties of hair algae that snails can't
eat. It does not eliminate soft attached algae that snails can eat, and it
does not eliminate the planktonic green water algae.
Paul Krombholz Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS 39174
In cool Jackson, Mississippi.