Questions about QT I’ve always wondered

Hello!

a few quick questions. When I get new plants in the mail, I float them in groups in a few vases for a few days before a bleach or alum dip. When floating in vases pre bleach//alum dips, can I leave the rubber band around the stem (no roots) base that each separate species comes with? Here’s a pic below.
While I’m doing the dip, can I leave the rubber band around the stems bases? And then when I put back in the vase for a couple days before the qt tank, can I leave rubber bands on?

In the QT tank, can I leave the rubber bands on (until the plants are at their final tank destination?). I assume not in the qt tank bc I want the stems to grow roots, but what about the other steps above (floating and dipping and then the floating again?).
And plants that come in pots? Can I float these in their pots and only remove for the dip (and keep removed after?). I don’t want to disrupt the plants too much after their shipping journey and I found that when I bleach dip a few diff types at a time, they all get tangled up if they don’t have rubber bands. Even if I dip a plant on its own I often lose pieces if there are just stems and no roots!

 

My thoughts:

1. Rubber bands can be left on. The extreme tips of the stems usually die back a little bit anyway after planting.
2. You can leave the potted plants in the pots or take them out right away. I think it makes little difference.
3. You don't have to go to the trouble of QTing and dipping your plants. I've ordered and collected hundreds of plants over the years, and I've never done either.

 

Yeah I second the above. I used to do hydrogen peroxide dips and QT but I stopped. I do a rinse of the plants to get off any obvious snail eggs if I don’t want them but that’s about it. Unless the plant is coming from a known infected tank I don’t bother

 

Yeah I second the above. I used to do hydrogen peroxide dips and QT but I stopped. I do a rinse of the plants to get off any obvious snail eggs if I don’t want them but that’s about it. Unless the plant is coming from a known infected tank I don’t bother

By known infected you mean somebody who says snails are in tank?
Thank you!
Edit: also how the heck do I plant this? How to unpot it and then how to plant?

Edit
They came free with an order so I know they really need co2 and stuff.
And if I do dip is it better to remove from pots? Or I’m sorry you said doesn’t make a diff?

 

By known infected you mean somebody who says snails are in tank?
Thank you!
Edit: also how the heck do I plant this? How to unpot it and then how to plant? View attachment 875657
Edit
They came free with an order so I know they really need co2 and stuff.
And if I do dip is it better to remove from pots? Or I’m sorry you said doesn’t make a diff?

I don’t mind snails personally, sometimes my LFS has fungal outbreaks and then I dip the plants from that tank if I buy them- only happened once and nothing bad happened. With the dwarf hair grass you take it out of the pot and unwrap the rockwool, then you can sort of unwind the grass and plant sprouts throughout the tank- you can dip or just rinse up to you

 

Ok so I bleached a bunch. I did all the plants and the ones in the pots: the repens I was able to undo the pot stuff as I was worried the bleach would sit in there if I dipped it too. I dipped the repens and put it back in the pot to soak in dechlorinated (after rinsing it of course). Now, snails could be in that sponge stuff in the pot so not sure if I did it correctly. But wouldn’t the sponge stuff hold bleach if I dipped it too? Then the tears and lobelia I opened up and this is where I was confused—and the main reason for this update. Inside there were tons of tiny roots, fine, but also seed looking things. Like grey balls. Do you think they are seeds or nutrients? Anyway I dipped the tops onky and left in the pots. And for my floaters—I dipped the cucullata by using a fork spatula type thing and moving it in clumps. The other floaters I haven’t done yet and not sure I will. Those come from a tank with def bladder snails and they rec. a dip. I know this isn’t very interesting but I am curious what those grey things are.

 

Ok so I bleached a bunch. I did all the plants and the ones in the pots: the repens I was able to undo the pot stuff as I was worried the bleach would sit in there if I dipped it too. I dipped the repens and put it back in the pot to soak in dechlorinated (after rinsing it of course). Now, snails could be in that sponge stuff in the pot so not sure if I did it correctly. But wouldn’t the sponge stuff hold bleach if I dipped it too? Then the tears and lobelia I opened up and this is where I was confused—and the main reason for this update. Inside there were tons of tiny roots, fine, but also seed looking things. Like grey balls. Do you think they are seeds or nutrients? Anyway I dipped the tops onky and left in the pots. And for my floaters—I dipped the cucullata by using a fork spatula type thing and moving it in clumps. The other floaters I haven’t done yet and not sure I will. Those come from a tank with def bladder snails and they rec. a dip. I know this isn’t very interesting but I am curious what those grey things are. View attachment 876562View attachment 876563View attachment 876564

Fertilizer balls most likely

 

Fertilizer balls most likely

Cool. Thank you! I saw you said to remove the wool from the baby tears and plant throughout. What if I’m doing a qt also? The problem I had with my first plants was they all got tangled together. So I plan to leave the plants rubber banded and in the pots only through qt bc it’s going to be a real pain to plant all those baby tears once, let alone twice. That’s ok right? To pot until final destination? Maybe I won’t qt. Either way they’re going in my 24” deep tank and I really need some tweezers—any recs on your faves? And do you prefer straight or curved? Thank you so much!

 

Cool. Thank you! I saw you said to remove the wool from the baby tears and plant throughout. What if I’m doing a qt also? The problem I had with my first plants was they all got tangled together. So I plan to leave the plants rubber banded and in the pots only through qt bc it’s going to be a real pain to plant all those baby tears once, let alone twice. That’s ok right? To pot until final destination? Maybe I won’t qt. Either way they’re going in my 24” deep tank and I really need some tweezers—any recs on your faves? And do you prefer straight or curved? Thank you so much!

Yeah you can leave it in the pot to QT. I usually just use my fingers to plant I do have tweezers I like the curved best

 

Yeah you can leave it in the pot to QT. I usually just use my fingers to plant I do have tweezers I like the curved best

Thank you! I prefer hands too but it’s so deep. I think I’ll try tweezers! Esp bc I have to load more sand into the tank bc the back has almost none. So I think it could disrupt it less. We shall see!