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Sanitize or toss plants?

maisy

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Sadly, the 2 newts in one of my tanks died because the filter had been accidentally unplugged for several days. The newts were too sick by the time we discovered that the filter had been unplugged, and although we changed most of the water and the filter cartridge, the newts died a couple of days after. This is why it is better to get a sponge filter rather than a submersible filter...the submersibles can be harder to detect if they are on or not, as in this case.

So... is it worth saving the plants? Is there a way to sanitize them? I don't want to run the risk of infecting the newts in my other tanks. I have java moss, a marmo ball, and a few others.

Thanks in advance for your help.:confused:
 

Jennewt

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So sorry to hear about your newts. I recommend bubble-driven filters (such as sponge filters) or internal waterfall filters. If you tank has a solid top, it's good to have some air pumped in.

Do you have any reason to think that the newts had an infectious disease? If not, then I wouldn't worry about sterilizing the plants.

I would recommend leaving the tank up and running as-is with the plants. If there was some infection that your newts had, it will die if there are no amphibians in the tank for a period of time. After a month or two I would consider it safe to have fish or amphibians again.
 

maisy

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Thanks Jen. I had already taken apart the tank and rinsed the plants prior to putting them in a separate container. So I'll leave them in the container for a couple of months like you advised. Now regarding the decorations & filter... I rinsed the fake bonsai tree that was in there as well as the filter. I rinsed the filter cartridge as well since it was only used briefly (2 days). I did not want to use bleach so I just rinsed and rinsed with very warm water. If there items are kept in a dry place for several months, will they be OK to use again? Would you recommend tossing any of them?
 
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