Cleaning quarantine tank?

[siskiou]

How do you get it ready and safe for the next inhabitant?

I had a fish in quarantine that possibly died from velvet and I heard that even bleach doesn't kill that.

I suppose leaving the tank empty for a week and sitting it out in the sun should do the trick?

And the same with the equipment (heater, powerhead, filter)?

 

-Susanne

[impur]

Soak in vinegar or bleach for the tank, vinegar for the pumps. You could also pick up some muratic acid, that will kill anything. I think pool suppliers sell it.

[DChemist]

Safety First

 

Soak in vinegar or bleach for the tank' date=' vinegar for the pumps. You could also pick up some muratic acid, that will kill anything. I think pool suppliers sell it.[/quote']

 

I shouldn't have to say it- Never mix bleach with vinegar or muriatic acid...

[JManrow]

As mentioned in this article by Scott Michael, a good soaking in a bleach/tap water solution will sterilize tank and equipment. Many times I have used vinegar to remove residual traces of bleach, but only after a thorough rinsing of everything with tap water. A good dose of dechlor will do the same thing.

http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/printer.aspx?aid=624&cid=3791

[cyenna]

How do you get it ready and safe for the next inhabitant?

I had a fish in quarantine that possibly died from velvet and I heard that even bleach doesn't kill that.

I suppose leaving the tank empty for a week and sitting it out in the sun should do the trick?

And the same with the equipment (heater, powerhead, filter)?

 

-Susanne

 

 

Who told you that bleach won't kill it? Unless they plated the treated water onto media and looked under a microscope for dinoflagellate then I think they're full of bologne or used the bleach incorrectly. Most disinfectants are just variants of bleach; outside the body, bleach can kill all sorts of parasites/bacteria and even viruses like HIV- you just have to know how to use it. Treat with at least 10% bleach solution over night and you've got a squeaky clean tank. My only worry is that you may not be able to rinse it all off and that will affect your next inhabitant. Anyway, that was my spiel. Personally, I would bleach everything with 20% solution, leave your tank and heater for overnight, maybe run your powerhead and filter. Then, whenever you have the time (the longer it sits in solution, the better) rinse really really really really really well with tap water (until you don't feel that slime layer) and then DI (or in this case, RO) water. This way, you won't have to spend money on anything not readily available. or use vinegar. whatever. i'm done talking. :p

[siskiou]

Who told you that bleach won't kill it?

 

 

One of the many websites I looked at during my "velvet" research.

 

Anyway, would cleaning it out with vinegar and letting it sit dry for a while, possibly in the sun, not do the trick?

 

Thanks to everyone for the info!

 

-Susanne

[JManrow]

I've been keeping aquariums 40 years and that's a new one one me.

[siskiou]

I tried finding the website again, and discovered that I misread the info.

They were actually talking about a dip with bleach.

 

Here is the relevant part:

Hyposalinity as a bath/dip is only effective in so much that lowered specific gravity causes the trophonts to drop off their hosts and encyst. Further, Clorox bleach at concentrations of 3 tsp. per four gallons have proven to not kill these resting stages. Obviously the pH-adjusted freshwater must need be drained and discarded between dips.

[andy]

Back in my freshwater days, I'd:

1. disinfect with a 10-20% bleach solution
   
2. wash with a weak vinegar solution
   
3. rinse with clean water
   

 

I'd probably do the same thing now if I wanted to 'sterilize' anything.