Algae Control: The Bleach Method
The idea behind this method is to either disinfect newly bought plants before to introduce them in our aquarium or to get rid of various species of algae that don’t want to go away. If you’ve tried everything and still have algae growing in your tank, the bleach method might be the solution for you. With the bleach method, we eliminate the algae entirely.
To be effective, this treatment must be done the right way. First, the plants have to be treated with diluted bleach and then put in an aquarium that is free of algae. If you put the plant back in the aquarium it came from, the algae will simply jump back on it.
Warning: This treatment will injure most aquarium plants to some degree. Most plants will recover from this treatment if given good care.
Method
Step #1: Set up a new aquarium for the bleached plants and the fish. Two tanks would be better: one for the plants, one for the fish. The tank for the plants should be well-lit with good growing conditions to give the plant more chances to recover. The tank for your fish should be fully cycled. Do not fill the tanks with water from your main tank!
Step #2: Prepare a bleach solution of 1 part of liquid bleach per 19 parts water.
Step #3: Dip the plants in the bleach solution for 2-4 minutes. Thin-stemmed plants can usually take 2 to 3 minutes in the 5% bleach and thicker stemmed plants can usually take 4 to 5 minutes. The toughest hair algae is Cladophora, which requires 4 minutes to kill it completely. Oedogonium, Rhizoclonium, black beard algae and staghorn algae are more sensitive, and can be killed by 2 to 3 minutes exposure.
Many people will not put the roots in the bleach solution to give the plant more chances to recover.
Step #4: Rinse the plant and put it in the aquarium
Step #5: Once all plants are free of alga, it’s time to kill the algae in your main tank. To do this, simply fill up the tank with tap water, and add about 1 cup of bleach per 10 gallons. Let the tank stand with a glass cover for a day or two, then drain and rinse. Once the main tank is free of algae, you can refill the tank and put back the plants and ornaments.
Step #5 Before to move the fish back into your main tank, you will have to make sure your main tank is fully cycled. Once the nitrogen cycle is established, it is safe to move the fish back in it.
Conclusion
That’s it, your done! Your tank is now free of algae! Remember that algae can easily be introduced with new fish or new plants. To not reintroduce algae in your main tank, new fish should be put in a “rinse” tank for a day and plants should be bleached. The “rinse” tank is a tank with no algae in it. Tap water should be good enough for a rinse tank.
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