Preparing New Aquarium Plants: Rock Wool, Pest Dips and Quarantine
How to unpack, clean, dip and acclimate new plants so you don't import snails and algae — and why some 'melt' after planting is completely normal.
Inspect and unpack
Following Tropica's planting advice, remove the pot and the rock/stone wool from the roots and trim the roots back to about 4 cm before planting. While you do this, pick off any obvious snails, snail eggs or clumps of algae you can see.
Should you dip?
The 2Hr Aquarist notes many aquarists dip new plants to kill hitch-hiking algae and snails, but cautions that dipping can damage delicate species, so weigh it up against how robust the plant is.
Dip options
- Hydrogen peroxide: 3% (drug-store strength) sprayed on, left for about 20 seconds, then rinsed off thoroughly.
- Bleach: mix roughly 1 part household bleach (3-6%) to 20 parts water, dip briefly, then rinse very thoroughly and treat with dechlorinator.
- Robust plants tolerate dips far better than soft-leaved ones — skip the dip on fragile species.
Tissue culture: the pest-free route
The cleanest option is tissue-culture plants: the 2Hr Aquarist notes they come sterile, free of snails and algae, and are good value. Rinse the gel off the roots before planting. They are more delicate and sensitive to immature soils, so plant them into a stable, matured tank.
Sources: The 2Hr Aquarist, How to quarantine new plants and Transition stress (www.2hraquarist.com www.2hraquarist.com); Tropica Plant Guide, Planting in the aquarium (tropica.com).