How to Soak Aquarium Plants for Snails

Live aquarium plants enhance both the beauty and health of an aquarium by adding valuable oxygen to the water while soaking up harmful chemicals and ammonia. Unfortunately, aquatic pest snails, such as the common pond snail and Malaysian trumpet snail, often use live aquatic plants as a place to lay their eggs, which can then reach plague proportions in your tank. Once they are introduced, combating the problem can be difficult. It is best to soak aquarium plants for snails as soon as you get them home, before you place them into the tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Bucket
  • Aquarium salt
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill a large bucket or tub with enough warm (not hot) water to completely submerge the leaves and stems of your largest plants. Five-gallon buckets work well for this, as they allow enough extra room to "swish" the plants around a bit.

    • 2

      Add aquarium or kosher salt to the bucket at a ratio of 1 cup per gallon of water used and stir thoroughly until the salt is entirely dissolved into the water.

    • 3

      Remove any rock wool, clips or plant weights from your aquarium plants.

    • 4

      Dip each plant, one at a time, into the saltwater bath and swish vigorously around in the water for 15 to 20 seconds. Do not allow the rhizomes or roots of the plants to be submerged, as the delicate root structure can be damaged or killed. Do not allow the plants to remain submerged longer than 20 seconds or so, as the dehydrating effects of the salt can shrivel and dry the leaves.

    • 5

      Rinse each plant in clean, dechlorinated water before planting in the tank.