How To Clean Plants?

[Matt_Didg]

How would i go about cleaning some old algae covered plants?
their not all too bad, but i want to give them a good clean so my fish are happier.

My tank is pretty boring without plants, and i'm thinking of getting some angel fish and maybe som eels.......and tetras.........and probably more...this is a pretty big tank.

But the plants need to be cleaned....

?

 

[Matt_Didg]

o yea and wat type of plants would be good for a variety of that kind of fish?

cheers

 

[Mr Miagi]

SO whats your lighting like? I think thats the main consideration in buying plants. But do make sure you buy plants that suite your water!

Plants are like fish, they wont grow if they have the wrong water conditions and will die! And we dont want that! Especially at the price some of them cost!

You can get the out of the water and rub them gently. Gosh, i dont really know how to clean them. The reason, my SAE's do it for me! What cleaning fish do you have?

They are real plants eh? Not plastic?

 

[Matt_Didg]

well for starters, no cleaning fish, yes real plants, and iv got afairly good light, 30watts

im gonna get some cleaning fish, but im a little short on cash right now.........

i only hav a neon tetra and 2 guppies, but wat plants would be good for angelfish and possibly eels?

 

[Videl]

Are you planning on putting the neon and the guppies in the same tank as your angelfish and eel. Even though you may buy the angel and eel small, when they grow, the angel and eel will most likely eat the smaller fish.

 

[Mr Miagi]

You can clean them manually for now, but id recomend either SAe's or otos as good plant cleaners. Ottos tend to do a better job IMO!

 

[rdd1952]

well for starters, no cleaning fish, yes real plants, and iv got afairly good light, 30watts

Actually for a planted tank, 30 watts isn't very much unless the tank is under 15 gallon. For most plants to prosper, you need a minimum of 2 watts per gallon and preferably 3 or more. About the only way to get that is with power compac lights which are expensive. Most of the plants that grow in low light are slow growing plants which makes them prone to algae growth.

As for cleaning them, it really depends on what type plants you have. Things like anubias, java fern, swords will all grow in low light but will also succumb to algae. I have had to clean mine before, before I upgraded my lighting. I did it during a water change. Go ahead and syphon out a bucket of water. Then pull the plants out and rinse them, even lightly scrubbing the leaves. The hardest thing to get off is the hair like algae that grows out from the edge of the leaves. Of course, this type cleaning won't work on things like anacharis as they are too fragile.

 

[Matt_Didg]

that helps seeing as the plant i hav IS anarcharis, i took them in a bucket and rinse them out alot and slightly rubbed the plants all over to get rid of algae.

yes the eel and angelfish will go with the neon and the guppy, and problably more little fish with them too, for now the little fish should be fine, when the eel and angelfish get bigger ill think of somthing else, otherwise jsut moving them.