[Karebear]

Does anyone have suggestions on how to get rid of aphids on my plants. This has been a problem for several years and I need to do something about it. I cannot get rid of the floating plants or any plants that grow out of the water. It must be safe for plants, fish and inverts.

Thank you

Karebear

 

[Bizarroterl]

Ladybugs.
Build a screen cover and turn a few loose.

 

[Sunstar]

Lady bugs, particularily their larva love aphids...

Alternatively, if you don't mind quarentineing your plants for a while...if you can; dust your plants with diatomatious earth. its a powder that is not an insecticide per say, but a very fine silica or something of that nature that gets into insects joints, cuts them appart and bleeds them of their vital fluids. it is non toxic. But I'd take the plants out and put them somewhere for a while to treat. I don't think it will hurt the inverts, unless they get out often.

 

[Karebear]

We tried ladybugs and they flew away, someone said to spray them with 7-up before you put them on so they cannot fly away, we may try that this spring. Is there a source for the larva? Diatomatious earth, hmm we have that in the store I think. Any idea what that would do to the fish? Most of the plant tanks are sales tanks and no fish to speak of, there are several planted show tanks with fish in that would be a super headache to remove fish from. I am also wondering about garlic, we could try some of the garlic food enhancers.

Thank you

Karebear

 

[Karebear]

I meant lady bugs

 

[Cavan Allen]

Killies will often wipe them out.

 

[niko]

I used to take care of live office plants for a living.

For Aphids you just take a rag dipped in pure or diluted rubbing alcohol and wipe every leaf. Repead that every few days until there are no more Aphids showing up. You can also get fabric work gloves, put them on, dip them in the alcohol and wipe the leaves with the gloves on.

Works, but it takes persistence.

--Nikolay

 

[Karebear]

I think I need to clarifie my situation. I have worked at the LFS for eight years and have the aquatic plants under my care. We are not sure where the aphids keep coming from, but they have been a chronic problem since we have opened. If we keep the plants underwater there are no aphids, but the moment we get some happy plant breaking surface guess what. We have two display tanks with fish and inverts that I love. We have 30g breeder tanks for the sales tanks, some with CO2 in them. Oh yeah, the most fun is when there is a hungry large falkala puffer in the tank, or at this moment exodon tetras chasing your hand as you get plants. With this set-up to hand wipe every plant daily or building a cover is not an option. At home this would be very do able, but here it is way too time consuming. We think we will try the diatomatious earth with a salt shaker to sprinkle it, Kevin feels it will be safe for the inverts since to use a diatom filter the diatomatious earth is let go into the aquarium and then sucked back into the filter paper and there is not a problem for the inverts. I have only one tank with inverts and we don't want any snails in these tanks anyway. Please keep giving suggestions, I will most likley need to do several different types of control as regular maintance.

Karebear

 

[Karebear]

Killies will often wipe them out.

We have used hatchets in the tanks, but they cannot get the aphids that are above the water. It is fun to wipe the bugs into the water and watch the fish eat. Yesterday I watched Kevin pull some off and give them to fish in another plantless tank.

 

[Robert Hudson]

They can't live under water. So you have had them for years, so why worry about them? They don't really damage the plants much, and they are so tiny you can barely see them, so whats the harm? They are probably on the plants you buy from Florida. I have had them for years as well. When they become annoying I simply wipe them off into the water and let my fish eat them.

You can probably find products for them from pond dealers or pond folks may know of more chemical free remedies. Something like Alum or Potassium permg. would probably work, but all the plants would have to be removed and dipped outside the aquariums.

 

[Karebear]

These are sales and display tanks in my store and it looks very bad to the customers.

 

[redcrane]

An interesting thread. I had this situation last spring. The temps were such that I could leave the doors to the shop open and save on the electricity. :eyebrows:
Thanks for all the input.
Exodon tetras - man them little buggers got some awesome teeth. I like the tetras but they look dangerous!!!!1

 

[Karebear]

An interesting thread. I had this situation last spring. The temps were such that I could leave the doors to the shop open and save on the electricity. :eyebrows:
Thanks for all the input.
Exodon tetras - man them little buggers got some awesome teeth. I like the tetras but they look dangerous!!!!1

We do not have air conditioning for the summer and have to leave the doors open. Have you seen the pictures of adult Exodons? Not one I would want to mess with. We Tried enhance garlic yesterday and both of the tanks look better, one tank has no aphids and the one with the most problems has fewer aphids.

Thanks
Karebear

 

[redcrane]

We Tried enhance garlic yesterday and both of the tanks look better, one tank has no aphids and the one with the most problems has fewer aphids.

Thanks
Karebear

Thanks but what is enhanced garlic?

 

[Karebear]

It is an appetite stimulator for fish that won't eat. It has garlic in it, I am not sure how much, and is made by Seachem. I had heard how garlic would repel insects and had a sample bottle so why not try it. If nothing else the fish should be hungry now. Next we will be trying the diatomatious earth.

 

[Sunstar]

It is an appetite stimulator for fish that won't eat. It has garlic in it, I am not sure how much, and is made by Seachem. I had heard how garlic would repel insects and had a sample bottle so why not try it. If nothing else the fish should be hungry now. Next we will be trying the diatomatious earth.

Later when I am not being sick to my guts, I'll look up how to control aphids in my organic gardening book. See what else they say.

 

[Karebear]

Ok, so the garlic is not working on the plants. I guess my next choice is the diaotomatious earth. I will be trying that in the next few days.