sterilise tank?

[the-obstacle]

I had a friends pond goldfish that was near death that I tried to treat in my hospital tank but it didn't make it. As the tank had a dead fish in it I now don't want to put anything in there until I've cleaned it out. What do I need to do? I can pretty much throw all the water and gravel out but there is a green tiger lotus in there I'd like to keep - how do I make sure it doesn't bring anything bad with it? How do I serilise/wash the heater and glass in the most fish safe way?

thanks in advance

[waterlogged]

for the tank, gravel etc you can use a little bleach and then sit in the sun for a few days then do a few rinses. the bleach is removed by the sunlight. and i know you can do something like that with plants but i've never tried it.

[Sunbird73]

Personally, I would take out the plant, submerge in a 10% -ish bleach solution for 5min (I use a timer cos I have forgotten before and come back to white plants :oops: ). Then I would totally clean out the tank, scrub it down, rinse then fill up with a bleach solution (at least a 10% solution) and leave it for a at least half an hour. Then rinse copiously with the hose, the last time I would rinse with water with a decent dose of Prime to get rid of any traces of chlorine. I probably would bleach and rinse the gravel in a separate bucket, I wouldn't throw it out (but then I am tight :oops: )

That would kill most things IMO.

I also give my plants a final rinse through with Prime in the water before I put them back in a tank.

[the-obstacle]

Cool, thanks for those tips. I'll be busy tonight with bleach and razorblades.

[hovmoller]

I would do a combination/variation to the above...

Tank:

Wash with a scrub sponge thingy with soap, rinse thorughly then spray all over inside tank with 5% bleach solution (could be stronger I guess).. then rinse very thoroughly and dry for days.. the drying will evaporate the bleach but you could also spray with a dechlorinator to be on the safe side.

Gravel:

If it looks really naff I would just throw it out but if it's good stuff I would just wash the hell out of it and soak in 5% bleach again.. rinse and dry in the sun as mentioned above.

Plant:

IMO 10% bleach for 5 min is way too much/long. It depends how hardy your tiger lotus is, I don't know. I did anubias in 5% (1:20) solution for 4 min (had read that that was absolute max somewhere online) and it completely anhialated the black beard algae on it and the plant was fine.

Filter:

Just wash with soap and soak in 5% bleach, the rinse and let dry for days..

[the-obstacle]

Sweet, I'll be throwing the filter out anyway - it was a homemade air powered one made from a link that ryanjury referenced that did an ok job and proved the point but is easier to dump than sterilise.

[Sunbird73]

Plant:

IMO 10% bleach for 5 min is way too much/long. It depends how hardy your tiger lotus is, I don't know. I did anubias in 5% (1:20) solution for 4 min (had read that that was absolute max somewhere online) and it completely anhialated the black beard algae on it and the plant was fine.

Well, in all honesty, I usually fill a bucket a third/half full and then put a generous splosh of bleach in. So I dunno what concentration that would be! Would be somewhere around 5-10%. Enough to ruin a shirt or two if it splashed onto it :-?

I can say for sure tho that 15 minutes is too long :lol: But 5 minutes is about spot on. All the plants I have dipped have survived and then thrived, whilst killing the BBA.... I have dipped xmas moss, ambulia, anubias, sagittaria, rotala (think its rotundosomethingarather).

I have also cleaned a tank in a hurry for a fish, did the bleach, rinse-rinse-rinse-prime and then filled up with right temp water etc and put the fish into it. No dramas at all. If you have the time ( and sunshine) then dry in the sun, but I haven't found it to be necessary - but if it was an expensive or delicate fish then of course err on the side of caution!

[hovmoller]

I agree Sunbird but very much depend on the plant I think..

I have done xmas moss as well no drama but when I did Riccia for only 1 min in 5% bleach it died..

[Stella]

What are you trying to kill and why?

Many fish diseases are present in the water anyway (bacteria etc) and opportunistically infect weak fish.

Parasites can't live off the fish for an extended period.

I have never disinfected a tank after disease, just emptied it and dried it out (usually so I can put it into storage).

Using bleach etc sounds like playing with chemicals and making a whole lot of work for yourself for no actual reason.

[Caryl]

I would use salt, wash the tank out and rinse well.

[pink_fish]

What are you trying to kill and why?

Many fish diseases are present in the water anyway (bacteria etc) and opportunistically infect weak fish.

Parasites can't live off the fish for an extended period.

I have never disinfected a tank after disease, just emptied it and dried it out (usually so I can put it into storage).

Using bleach etc sounds like playing with chemicals and making a whole lot of work for yourself for no actual reason.

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