Cleaning algae off fake plants

[DaveB]

I have a few of those giant 30" tall fake plants with the really skinny leaves (see photo below). They're great in my Uaru tank, where I can't keep real plants.

But over time they've picked up a ton of algae.

The problem is that they're too delicate for me to scrub... the force necessary to remove the algae ends up breaking the plant off.

Is there a way to soak them in something to get the algae off?

As you can see, back in the day they looked really nice. Now they look so bad I haven't kept them in the tank in a while. But I'd like to give a few skittish fish some cover and these would be perfect if I could get them clean.

I know you can use a bleach mix, but does that actually take it off? Or just loosen it a bit for scrubbing? I'd be terrified that on such a knotty/thick plant that I wouldn't get it fully rinsed off too.

 

[DMD123]

I use a bleach mix all the time. Seems to loosen up the junk on the plants quickly with a very small amount of agitation required. Then I rinse it extremely well before putting it back in the tank. Ive not had any problems with this method in my tank.

 

[TheRealAndyCook]

Have you tried dipping it, upside down, in a bucket of tank water? the agitation of moving it might be just enough to get it the algae to fall off.

 

[joecoulson]

Can you tell me where to get those plants, i like alot

 

[DaveB]

Have you tried dipping it, upside down, in a bucket of tank water? the agitation of moving it might be just enough to get it the algae to fall off.

I wish. It's on there good enough to require scrubbing, which I can't do without tearing the plant up.

 

[DaveB]

Can you tell me where to get those plants, i like alot

I got it at Petsmart, I think. I see them at all the pet stores.

 

[probe1957]

What DMD said. Bleach and rinse.