Feeding and Nutrition :: Cleaning aquatic plants

[BullDog]

Any suggestions as how to clean aquatic plants before putting them in the tank? (I mean without killing them xP) Plants are on sale again this weekend (buy 1 get 2 free) so I was going to pick up another 3, and rotate them between the turtle tank and the fish tank, so they get a chance to regrow and Ralph can have fresh vegies

[BullDog]

Got my plants already Only problem is, I mistook "Brazilian Sword" for "Amazon Sword" (what's with the names anyhow? The Amazon is mostly in Brazil anyway! ) which is also called "Peace Lily" which is toxic (and is technically a terrarium plant)... Oops. Oh well, it looks my fish tank look pretty none the less
I also got Italian Vallisneria (aka eel grass) Which Ralph loves and it grows back quite fast, and Dwarf Sagittaria, which is pretty and easy to care for

[missibsu]

Lillys are toxic to cats as well. We came across this information when my cat passed away last year. It caught me off guard to find that out.

[scripta_elegans]

I just wash my plants well with tap water. I think the clorine probably helps take care of bacteria, the water rinses off chemicals, and I try to wash off anything larger. I did not rinse the duckweed I just received as it was organically grown, and they said not to, and I now have snails. I am not sure if it's a bonus or a curse yet....

[kikicool]

Oh, Missibu I'm sorry you learned the hard way about lilies! A lot of people don't know about it. I worked for a vet, and I can't tell you how common this was (especially around easter). Also, poinsettas are highly toxic to cats. in fact there are many toxic (and common) plants--aloe vera is another one, although it is not as fast-acting as lilies. Anyway, I am sorry about your loss.

I just washed my plants in tap water, too. I bought it from the pet store and it came in a bag filled with water. But I dind't know if any of the fish in the tank where they kept it were sick or what.

[missibsu]

The cat didn't die from the lilys, it's an even sadder tale than that. Thanks for the kind words though!