# how to disinfect pond plants?



## killi69 (10 Jun 2020)

Hi all,

I am about to create a water garden made up of a number of ponds.  A local fishery has agreed for me to take as many 'weeds' as I like.   Its quite a low density fishery and the lake is  full of hornwort and  last time I was there, I saw lots of Stratiotes also.   The water looks very healthy (full of aquatic plants, clear water and a good population of  newts).  They do regular 'weeding' so are more than happy for me to come and help them and take home what I like.  My ponds will be built early July.  Apart from saving me lots of money, starting off with a large number of hornwort would also help me stay ahead of algae problems, I hope.

I know many people would frown on the idea of using pond plants from nature in case of introducing parasites but at the same time, I also know that many pond plants for sale originate from lakes anyway with fish in them.  It has happened to me a number of times when I got fry in my outdoor tubs through introducing pond plants I had bought.

I was wondering if anyone knows about how to treat aquatic plants against parasites (and perhaps also unwanted fish eggs)?

My ponds will be mainly about the plants with low stock density of small  fish from temperate regions which I have been keeping and breeding outside in barrels for years (Aphanius mentho/ Fundulus julisia/ Fundulus catanatus/  Macropodus ocellatus).

Regards,

Andre


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## MirandaB (10 Jun 2020)

Probably your best bet would be to make up a solution of Potassium permanganate to dip them in but make sure you wear gloves as it's not something you want to get on your skin.
It won't deal with eggs from Great pond snails though.....I left some in a very strong pp solution for hours then popped them into water and they still hatched


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## killi69 (10 Jun 2020)

Thanks Miranda for the tip!  What solution of Potassium permanganate  would you recommend??


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## MirandaB (10 Jun 2020)

I admit I don't exactly do it scientifically,I just get some water and add a few drops to make it a nice deep purply pink colour.
I use the NT Labs one as that was the only only one I could get hold of at the time although I know you can buy the crystals.


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## killi69 (10 Jun 2020)

Great to know Miranda, thanks for all the useful info!


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## Gill (11 Jun 2020)

I used 3 capfuls in a bucket. Wear long gloves, so you don't get any on your skin. As it will stain for days and days. 
Swirl the plants about for 20 seconds, and then leave them in the solution for 10 mins. And then Into an bucket of running water for at least an hour. 

With the pond elodea, we would leave the water running for 10 hours, to completely flush out any residual chemicals. You could smell the chemicals on them when unpacking the delivery. And the water would froth up from whatever they use in Thailand.


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## jaypeecee (11 Jun 2020)

Hi @killi69 

I am also a user of potassium permanganate for disinfecting aquatic plants. I can't remember if I ever used it when I had a pond but have used this many times on aquarium plants and it is very effective. I fully immerse the plants for 5 - 10 minutes in the potassium permanganate solution and then rinse thoroughly with tap water before adding to a tank. I have a tiny pot of crystals that I bought from a chemist years ago. I just add a few crystals to tap water and stir until fully dissolved. The resulting water colour should be that of a Rosé wine.

JPC


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## killi69 (11 Jun 2020)

Thank you Gill and JPC for your detailed instructions, super useful and much appreciated!


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## frederick thompson (12 Jun 2020)

killi69 said:


> Thank you Gill and JPC for your detailed instructions, super useful and much appreciated!


Hi mate. I use 10ml of pp for plants to 8 gallons of water.
I also use same amount for my koi dips.
To kill parasites I do 15 minute dip for fish and the same for plants. Then a good rinse.
Fred

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## killi69 (12 Jun 2020)

Thank you Frederick, great to know how you do this


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## jaypeecee (12 Jun 2020)

Gill said:


> I used 3 capfuls in a bucket


Hi @Gill

Out of interest, if you buy potassium permanganate solution, at what concentration is it sold? I would imagine that it varies from supplier to supplier or not? I use crystals so I know my exact starting point.

JPC


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## frederick thompson (15 Jun 2020)

jaypeecee said:


> Hi @Gill
> 
> Out of interest, if you buy potassium permanganate solution, at what concentration is it sold? I would imagine that it varies from supplier to supplier or not? I use crystals so I know my exact starting point.
> 
> JPC


I use if I buy liquid. Nt labs.1 liter bottle s.
It has a measuring cap 5ml 10ml 15ml 20ml. 10ml is around 9 gallons of water.

If I use Crystal's I use . Kusuri pp. Then I have to use scales. To measure for my 5000 gallon pond if treating. My fish or plants.

I have just bought a different make.
Koi doc pp. At queni koi. Ebay as well
Fred

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