# How to best sanitize new Betta aquarium plant? Red Root Floater



## courtrkb (Jul 12, 2021)

Hello!

I ordered some Red Root Floater plants from a great and reputable Etsy account to add to my filtered/heated Betta tank. 

I’m trying to decide the best way to prep/sanitize my new plant (before quarantining it) and before adding it to my established tank- and I’m glad I Googled it first! 
It seems many people have had awful luck with the go-to diluted bleach dip method on this plant; many warned against it because their Red Root Floaters died!

Does anyone have experience with this aquatic plant? What’s the best way to sanitize/treat this especially sensitive plant without harming it?

Thank you!!!!


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I wouldn't. You can put in a bowl and watch for 10-14 days. 

They are very fragile plants; to keep them looking their best I found they need additional Iron in the water column as do most red plants.

I have Assassin Snails in my tanks so don't worry about bladder or pond snails.


----------



## courtrkb (Jul 12, 2021)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I wouldn't. You can put in a bowl and watch for 10-14 days.
> 
> They are very fragile plants; to keep them looking their best I found they need additional Iron in the water column as do most red plants.
> 
> I have Assassin Snails in my tanks so don't worry about bladder or pond snails.





RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I wouldn't. You can put in a bowl and watch for 10-14 days.
> 
> They are very fragile plants; to keep them looking their best I found they need additional Iron in the water column as do most red plants.
> 
> I have Assassin Snails in my tanks so don't worry about bladder or pond snails.


Thank you so much! I was having such a hard time finding information about sanitizing this plant online that I was considering doing just that! Thank you for the recommendation ☺ And for the tips! This plant is so pretty, I want it to thrive and live its best plant life haha!


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

I also got some red root floaters and water spangles from Etsy. I’m really REALLY paranoid about pest snails so I’ve had them in a heated 1 gallon quarantine tank for about 2 weeks. I have a table lamp set up to give them light and add a drop of fertilizer about every other day.
So far the only change I’ve seen is that the red root floaters have lost a bunch of the bright red coloration they had when they arrived and new leaves are coming in green. I expect that to change back to red once I put them in the tank. Both plant types look to be getting new growth.
Other than that the majority of the plants look good with only 2 or 3 individual leaves out of the whole bunch having rotted.
I have found about 5 bladder snails in this time. The first I found were about the size of a grain of sand. The ones I found yesterday and today were slightly larger but still very hard to see. I’m pretty sure they came in as eggs.
I’m testing an “alum dip” now on a couple of each of the plants. I had intended to only do a 4 hour dip but that turned into a longer experiment when I forgot to take them out after 4 hours. I checked the plants this morning and they still look ok so I’m going to leave them in for 24 hours then they’ll go into a clean container for another wee or so.
Having them in a clear container I can easily check the bottom and sides of the tank to look for any movement after stirring up the water and then letting it completely settle.
But that’s just me. I’ve only ever had frogbit in the past (years ago!) and I’m sure I didn’t quarantine or treat the plants at all.


----------



## courtrkb (Jul 12, 2021)

sparkyjoe said:


> I also got some red root floaters and water spangles from Etsy. I’m really REALLY paranoid about pest snails so I’ve had them in a heated 1 gallon quarantine tank for about 2 weeks. I have a table lamp set up to give them light and add a drop of fertilizer about every other day.
> So far the only change I’ve seen is that the red root floaters have lost a bunch of the bright red coloration they had when they arrived and new leaves are coming in green. I expect that to change back to red once I put them in the tank. Both plant types look to be getting new growth.
> Other than that the majority of the plants look good with only 2 or 3 individual leaves out of the whole bunch having rotted.
> I have found about 5 bladder snails in this time. The first I found were about the size of a grain of sand. The ones I found yesterday and today were slightly larger but still very hard to see. I’m pretty sure they came in as eggs.
> ...


I totally get that! I'm sooo afraid of unknowingly hosting pests- that's why I was so bummed to learn from others online that a diluted bleach dip would likely kill this plant!

Thankfully the Etsy shop customer reviews ALL said that the plants they received were pest-free, but I'm still paranoid and trust nothing, haha. 

My Red Root Floaters are currently quarantining in a clear bowl on a sunny windowsill until I troubleshoot some more. I should have planned ahead more, but figured a diluted bleach dip would have sufficed!
I thoroughly investigated every nook and cranny of the plants when my order arrived, but knowing that you found grain-of-sand sized pests makes me want to check again and quarantine even longer! That's smart to have a designated and heated quarantine tank, thanks for the idea!

Which fertilizer are you using for this plant? 

I'd love an update about the "alum dip"- I've never used this method before but have heard about it and it being effective. 

Thank you so much for your time and the great info!


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

If you are worried about pest snails get an Assassin Snail. Two will keep your tank free and eat leftover food. They only reproduce one baby at a time and pet stores will gladly take a baby. I started with two and three years later had seven.


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

courtrkb said:


> I totally get that! I'm sooo afraid of unknowingly hosting pests- that's why I was so bummed to learn from others online that a diluted bleach dip would likely kill this plant!
> 
> Thankfully the Etsy shop customer reviews ALL said that the plants they received were pest-free, but I'm still paranoid and trust nothing, haha.
> 
> ...


I watch YouTube videos about fish keeping while I’m on the treadmill. I was trying to figure out how to limit the possibility of pest snails and other hitchhikers and found this vid. 




I’m currently just using a drop of Seachem Flourish but I’m trying to research other options for iron and other stuff plants need.
@RussellTheShihTzu what fertilizer(s) do you recommend?
I took the plants out of the alum and they’re in fresh, treated water. I’ll observe them for a bit to see if they have survived.
Now I’m off to research assassin snails!!


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> If you are worried about pest snails get an Assassin Snail. Two will keep your tank free and eat leftover food. They only reproduce one baby at a time and pet stores will gladly take a baby. I started with two and three years later had seven.


Thanks! I’m going to research them now.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I use these ferts NilocG Aquatics Inc. Best ever with great customer service. Colin will tell you which ones will work best for you if your not sure.

Assassin Snails are beautiful and stay very small @ about 1". Do not believe LiveAquaria information. Mine have never attacked my Nerite or Mystery Snails. I feed frozen so when it's Bloodworm time I place one under a plant where a Betta can't reach.


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I use these ferts NilocG Aquatics Inc. Best ever with great customer service. Colin will tell you which ones will work best for you if your not sure.
> 
> Assassin Snails are beautiful and stay very small @ about 1". Do not believe LiveAquaria information. Mine have never attacked my Nerite or Mystery Snails. I feed frozen so when it's Bloodworm time I place one under a plant where a Betta can't reach.
> View attachment 1041909


I hate to highjack this thread, so maybe I should start a new one?

I only have a 5 gallon and two 3 gallon tanks, but my research says 10 gallons is the minimum tank size. In your experience, is 3 gallons too small for 1 assassin snail?


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

No, a three is not too small. I had a couple in a 2.5 with no issues.


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks!!


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

BTW… update on the red root floaters and water spangles I alum soaked. Both types of plant survived the treatment, although they look a bit rough. Since @RussellTheShihTzu told me about assassin snails I feel much better about possible pest snails and added the treated plants to two of my tanks.

The majority of the floating plants are still in quarantine for a few more days.

I’ll try to remember to update again as I see if they recover.


----------



## courtrkb (Jul 12, 2021)

sparkyjoe said:


> BTW… update on the red root floaters and water spangles I alum soaked. Both types of plant survived the treatment, although they look a bit rough. Since @RussellTheShihTzu told me about assassin snails I feel much better about possible pest snails and added the treated plants to two of my tanks.
> 
> The majority of the floating plants are still in quarantine for a few more days.
> 
> I’ll try to remember to update again as I see if they recover.


Thank you so much for the update! That's great to know- 

After my red root floaters were in their 2-week quarantine without any treatment, I sorted through them last night and removed at least 7 MINIATURE snails burrowed in the leaves...
It was super disappointing to see, but also this is why we quarantine, right? Haha. I might treat the plants in the same way that you did with success so far, but I also might wait another week and sort through my plants again to see if there were any snails I missed. 
I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet...

The snails are SOOO tiny that I can't even identify what type they might be (they're about the size of a grain of sand, if I hadn't been diligently looking I would have missed them!) 
I'm guessing they were just a general pond snail, which was a bummer because if anything, I was hoping I'd scored a free Assassin snail!


----------



## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

They’re like little grains of sand!! Sooooooo small! 

I’ve had my floaters in their tanks for a few weeks now and haven’t seen any baby snails so I’m hopeful I avoided them. 

But, I’ve done more research and decided it’s not the end of the world if I do get some eventually.

I think mine were bladder snails? Some of the rams horns are so pretty! I just wish they didn’t breed so fast. The assassin snails are kind of neat looking. 

I tended to find my hitchhikers by looking for movement. I would sit with a flashlight and scan everywhere to find anything moving. Then I would jostle the container around a bunch and look for any debris that _wasn’t_ moving. Rinse and repeat every few days. I’m sure there are better ways, but it worked for me.


----------

