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how to kill everything in the tank?


perplex

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Never heard of this technique before. Thanks for sharing.

 

For exemple you can find some information here : http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatfishblog/2011/07/20/dipping-plants-to-eliminate-snails/#.VQhefuGgaH8

 

It works for me when I see eggs on my plants.

 

Sorry I wrote Alun (it's the french translation) but it's Alum (aluminium sulfate).

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so could i just go down to bunnings get some chlorine and put that in the water? or could i just fill it up with pool water :O?

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Fishmosy was talking about bleach but pool chlorine does the same job. If you just add pool water you won't know how much chlorine you actually added - perhaps you're not worried. 

You can use Milton tablets too or any other convenient source of chlorine if this is the path you've chosen. 

 

JiCi, I knew you were talking about Alum. Thanks for adding that info, I had never imagined that use for it either. 

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well, nothing survives in pools, no algae or snails, so i think that should be strong enough, just add a bucket of pool water everyday as a water change to keep the chlorine up i guess. even if its to much, its ok, only reason i didnt want to use bleach is, if i spill water on carpet, it goes bad lol, and i have a foam rock wall, i dont want the colors to fade on that

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well, i decided to bin all the moss and plants, and start again....

 

the pool water is in the tank now, ill leave it in maybe a week, doing a full water change once every 2-3 days.

 

think 1 week is long enough to kill everything?

 

ill be after some new moss, didnt like peacock moss anyway, doesnt like grabbing hold of things, any recommendations? christmas moss?

Edited by perplex
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  • 4 weeks later...

I killed everything in my tanks one time with peroxide(wasn't planned) about 20ml per 100L of 6% solution should do it. :thumbsu:

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Do you guys have access to assassin snails? They are good preventatives for snail population explosions.

These aren't available in Aus.

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I killed everything in my tanks one time with peroxide(wasn't planned) about 20ml per 100L of 6% solution should do it. :thumbsu:

Every time this thread bounces to the top I remember the day I just gave a few unmeasured sprays of peroxide to the surface of a small 20l tank to remove the surface film.  A little spray here, a little spray there, here a squirt, there a squirt, just a little spray can't hurt....

 

And 30 mins later..... well... see the topic of this thread.

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what about draining the water snd leaving tank outside in the sun? ive always done this in the past when ive bought secondhand tanks. does anyone know if that would work or will some types of pathogens survive?

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I remember as a kid collecting the black snails with red flesh that are predatory, I think on other snails. I guess they qualify as "Assassin Snails" but they're certainly not aquatic. I've told someone before on this forum that we can't get them here but I wonder if there are any native, predatory aquatic snails that we can get. Someone will know, they're just probably not on SKF. 

 

UV sterilisation via the sun should work ok, remember that regular glass doesn't allow much UV through so it won't be as effective as you expect. Most sterilising agents will work on a bare glass tank. Chlorine, alcohol, peroxide are all good. Formalin works if you dare to use it. The important part is to be sensible about it. Metho leave a residue that must be rinsed out. Some things could damage the silicone. Gravel is hard to rinse so heat is probably a better option there. 

 

Mycobacterium is one example of a persisitent pathogen that probably won't be killed by a short exposure to the sun. I think bleach is required, Fishmosy will know. 

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UV will kill even the most stubborn of bacteria and their spores. It just depends on the dosage they get. If you are going to completely empty the tank, give it a slosh out with either a capful of bleach and water or salt crystals in minimal water, which have the benefit of a slight abrasive action. Then rinse well and leave to dry in full sun for a few days.

The combination of bleach or salt, lack of moisture and sunlight (heat and UV) will definitely get rid of any bad bacteria and their spores.

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With regards to native Australian snails that prey on other snails, these are common in marine systems but I'm unaware of any existing in freshwater. I've sent emails to a couple of researchers currently working in this area. Will report back when I get some replies.

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OK recieved a reply from Dr Frank Koehler from the Australian Museum.

Quote: "None of the native Australian freshwater snails is carnivorous in the sense that it preys on other fw snails."

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..so what about a freshwater leech that exclusively eats snails.  Helobdella papillornata.  See last paragraph: http://static-content.springer.com/lookinside/art%3A10.1023%2FA%3A1003543314841/001.png.

 

Gyraulus (mentioned in the paper) is a lot like the "mini ramshorn" that plagues many people.

 

Edit:  I suspect they will be a cold water species that may not tolerate the temps many of us have our tanks at.... but I really want to try to find them now.

Edited by Grubs
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The section of the paper you linked to mentions the leeches were kept at 16 - 24*C, the upper end being perfect shrimp temperatures. If you track some down, I'd be keen to give them a whirl.

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Yep we should all be looking for these when we're out finding things. Great find Grubs, I didn't know something like this existed. 

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