Plastic Plants

What is the best way to clean the algae off plastic plants without disturbing the entire tank ? I am not a fan of plastic, but had to give my discus hiding places until the real plants take hold.

A discus tank has to be perfectly clean so I am anxious not to have an algae problem in the tank.

 

Er, you can wipe them off with your fingers, use a turkey baster, or you can pull them, bleach, rinse, air dry, and place back in, depending on how dirty they are and how much it sticks (algae or detritus?)

 

Er

Why did you start your explanation with "er" ? Were you telling me that I am stupid & should have thought of these things on my own ?

 

Man don't be so touchy or you not going to be getting anyone to answer you....

Take them out put them in a bucket with a gallon of water an 1/2 cup of liquid bleach.

Soak them for a hour or so then take them out rinse them really well an put in a gallon of fresh water with a cap full or so of Dechlorinator in it for a little while.

Or you can put them in the sun to dry throughly, once dry the bleach isn't toxic anymore.

I do this with the silk and plastic plants in my seahorse tank about once a month. Never had an issue.

 

Why do you answer a question with another question, while not giving some of the details implied in the earlier answer to be necessary to find the best solution?

 

When I clean mine, I find that a bit of detritus is liberated from the gravel around the base of the plant... So, in addition to what gazog mentions, a quick vacuum of the gravel combined with a small water change helps...

 

um.. i dont think thats what he meant by that.
( i hope me starting this sentence with an Um.. doesnt get you thinking bad things of my comment)

and as for your problem, i would just do the explanation from Gazog above^.
bucket with water and a little bit of bleach, then rinse, then dry, then rinse and then place back.

 

The advice worked. Thanks. I guess I was just so sensitive because, in my part of my country "er" is the equivalent of "dah."

Sorry for jumping the gun Black Raven. The mistake was mine. Just a case of interpreting from one part of the world to another.

Please forgive me.

I had a bad case of algae on my plastic plants in one aquarium. They came out nice & clean. The others still look good so I'll just rub them with my finger each time I do a water change. I may not even need an algae eater. I may be able to do it myself.


Oceansurf

 

For what it's worth, although discus do require cleaner water than some, I can assure you that the algae in the tank won't do them any harm. In fact, depending on the intensity and location of the algae, it can make the tank a bit more natural looking.

Also, if you're going to give your discus a hiding place, make sure it really is a hiding place. Just hanging out next to a plant isn't going to cut it for them. They'll love a place that they can actually hide, to where you almost have to look for them to find them. I have a ton of live plants in my tank plus a huge branch that they can hide under in almost complete darkness if they choose.

Just my two cents.

Jonathan