Faux/Artificial plants

[NickP]

Hey guys.

I just went out and bought some faux plants and am planning on putting them in on Monday or Tuesday when I do an overall full tank cleanup.

My question is, should I disinfect the plants? I got them from Michaels and they seem clean to me, and at most might be slightly dusty, but who knows what kind of bacteria they might have. Should I just wash with soap, or maybe soak in water and Clorox?

[LadyOhh]

Yes...

I would go with bleach if it won't mess up the colors

[Argentra]

At the very least, the hottest water you can get that isn't boiling. Bleach if the plants are soft plastic or already pale, otherwise the colors will run off and fade out. If you have a disinfectant like Chlorhexidine(sp?), I would use that over the bleach. But yes, do clean them before adding them to the cage.