# Using Hydrogen Peroxide to disinfect plants outside the aquarium



## UpperPaleo

Hi, I was in the nursery business for years, and before shipping plants (especially overseas) I would often disinfect them with a product that was like a very strong form of Hydrogen Peroxide. I am wanting to use a dilution of household grade Hydrogen Peroxide as a dip (outside the aquarium) to disinfect plants from any harmful bacteria or diseases that could harm my fish (and possibly algae or snails, but I'm more concerned about fish diseases.) Has anybody used peroxide like this, and do you have a "recipe" for the dilution?

I would rather not use the bleach dip, but would consider Potassium Permangnate.

Any advice would be appreciated!


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## timwag2001

h2o2 wont kill snails. but will do a pretty good job on algae ad such. when using it in the tank, i usually use 2-3ml per gallon. that usually does the trick after a few days, especially when spot dosing. if you were going to use it as a dip you could pressumably go higher. dip, wait a few seconds and then rinse. most plants do pretty well but be carefull as some are more sensative than others. the only plant that i've run into that doesnt do too well is syngonanthus sp., on the other hand, anubias can handle a spray of straight 3% h2o2. if you buy a quart of h202 you can screw a spray bottle trigger right to the top.


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## mistergreen

Yes, we use H2O2 often. I use straight 3% H2O2 dip for 5 minutes or a <1.5% mixture for 15-30 minutes. It does a good job with algae and parasites.

Like any oxidizers, it will harm the plants too if exposed for too long/too much. I turned my plant trimmings to mush with H2O2 after soaking it for a few hours. I was experimenting.


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## timwag2001

and since its technically your second post, that makes me a little late, but welcome to the forum


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## UpperPaleo

Thanks for the advice, and the welcome to the Forum. I appreciate both. Any thoughts on Potassium permagnate as opposed to a bleach dip?


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## mistergreen

They're all oxidizers so there's no real benefit of one over the other except cost and availability.


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## timwag2001

there is one benefit. P.P will kill snails


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## lauraleellbp

Either CAN kill snails, or NOT kill snails- the issue is getting the little buggers out of their shells so they actually get exposed to it LOL

IDK how well either of them will kill snail eggs, though?


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## Steve001

I've been in this hobby since the late mid 80's. All I've ever done is rinse plant under lukewarm water. Even plants that were harvested from the wild. Not once have I ever introduced a disease. Perhaps there's much ado about nothing.


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## wkndracer

Steve001 said:


> I've been in this hobby since the late mid 80's. All I've ever done is rinse plant under lukewarm water. Even plants that were harvested from the wild. Not once have I ever introduced a disease. Perhaps there's much ado about nothing.


*much ado about nothing*,,, Until you get stuck with something you didn't want. Parasites can travel via plants. For me it was pond snails that came uninvited. Simply holding a plant for a few days in a bucket of tank water improves the odds against transfer.

For algae either Excel or H2O2 on the plants that can handle it. Flubendazole is a plant safe parasite treatment that kills snails also. Adding these (Excel + flu) for a few days in a bucket of tank water with an air stone cover many issues without hazard to most plants.


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## fresh.salty

I think the KMnO4 will kill the snail eggs. I used it in the past to kill the egg clusters of coral eating nudibranchs.

Treatments with other compounds would kill the juveniles and adults but not the eggs.


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## Steve001

wkndracer said:


> *much ado about nothing*,,, Until you get stuck with something you didn't want. Parasites can travel via plants. For me it was pond snails that came uninvited. Simply holding a plant for a few days in a bucket of tank water improves the odds against transfer.
> 
> For algae either Excel or H2O2 on the plants that can handle it. Flubendazole is a plant safe parasite treatment that kills snails also. Adding these (Excel + flu) for a few days in a bucket of tank water with an air stone cover many issues without hazard to most plants.


I'm suggesting it may not be as great a problem as many think it is. 

I've had pond snails once. They came and went. It wasn't a problem. I've had algae it came and went. 
One thing I've never done with my *tank is over stock and over feed the fish. Perhaps that helps.

*I'm not a newb at this hobby. I've only had one tank and it's been running for 25 years with lots of added plants in that time.

P.S. Let me add that I do remove mechanically from wild harvested plants any snail eggs and I also look for any wormy critters. The rinsing is done under a fast flowing stream of water.


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## lauraleellbp

I don't usually clean mine under more than tapwater, either, but it's nice to be able to dip them for algae. I generally use Excel for that, though.

Snails I've just learned to live with LOL


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## nilocg

Does anyone have any experience with H2o2 melting vals the same as excel does?


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## timwag2001

nope. the only plant i had issues with was syngonanthus



> Flubendazole is a plant safe parasite treatment that kills snails also


i dont have any experience trying to kill snails with it. i've always used doses small enough to be safe for snails and shrimp. what recommended dose would you use for a dip? one package (1g) to one gallon? and how well do you think it works on eggs?


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## wkndracer

Steve001 said:


> *I'm not a newb at this hobby. I've only had one tank and it's been running for 25 years with lots of added plants in that time.


Not a bust quoting you simply observing that the possibility is there for problems. Maybe with higher average temperatures we have more 'stuff' that can infect our tanks in the south (idk). The ability to acquire more via import may be adding to the list. Bugs evolving to be resistant to treatments like the ICH that's reported on several breeder sites. Like you for years I added things without concern if it appeared healthy and clean. Once I went through fish losses (in large to me numbers) finding it difficult to ID the problem and correct it quarantine became more important to me. Now that I have multiple tanks the risk is too high to plop and drop with some of my fish costing $70 or more. Once I discovered that some parasites can live without a host animal for 21 days or more things changed. 



nilocg said:


> Does anyone have any experience with H2o2 melting vals the same as excel does?


Treating staghorn, BBA, BGA at varous times dwarf chain swords have survived without issue.



timwag2001 said:


> i dont have any experience trying to kill snails with it. i've always used doses small enough to be safe for snails and shrimp. what recommended dose would you use for a dip? one package (1g) to one gallon? and how well do you think it works on eggs?


The 10% Flubendazole used was supplied by Charles. 
http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html
Following his fish treatment guide I mixed enough for the bucket volume then left the plants in it on the porch for a week. Stems did twist toward the light as they floated in the bucket making them a PITA to plant. Using weights next time rather than just floating them. Air stone to create circulation, double dose of excel and flu makes me feel better adding things. To date nothing has made it through. 1 gram added to 5 gallons is double dosing with 10% for a dip. 

HTH


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