rosco Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Hi all, I have successfully managed to kill a tank of fish in less than 48 hours from a very nasty strain of white spot (I think) . Now I have had enough of this tank. I am now going to totally sterilize the tank, filter, throw out the substrate driftwood everything. What is the best way to do it. cheers rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 BLEACH IS GREAT BUT....WERE GLOVES AND DO IT IN A VERY WELL VENTILATED AREA. i get the cheap $4 for 4L bottle from woolies, sodium hyperchloride stuff. CLean out th tank completely first.. remove all algae gunge etc then I put it in a $2 spray pac thingy and do the entire tank and bars/bridges ets, give it agood wipe out, let it sit for a while and repeat RINSE THE TANK VERY WELL MANY TIMES. I usually go until the water no longer foams, you will however still smell the bleach, fill up the empty tank for a week, airate even had neutraliser if you want the chlorine will disapate after a few days empty rinse begin the task of recycling the tank ROcks and stuff can also be done with bleach, WHen i get wild caught rocks i clean em up and the soak in a tu for a week or so in 25% bleach theh rise well and dry in sun rinse well and ry again and the add to tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foai Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 I think leaving the tank in the sun for a couple of days and then filling with boiling water is much more efficient, environmentally friendly and there is no prospects of leaving chemical residues which kill your fish. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwboy53 Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 I think leaving the tank in the sun for a couple of days and then filling with boiling water is much more efficient, environmentally friendly and there is no prospects of leaving chemical residues which kill your fish. David ← Remember there is always the danger of the glass cracking when boiling water is pored on the glass. I would go with the bleach method, your guarenteed to have a sterile tank . To ensure that all bleach residue is gone, just fill the tank up after your rinsed it a fair bit, then add heaps of water conditioner. After all, bleach is only dilluted chlorine. I used to dip my algae infested plants in a bleach solution, then rinsed it, and used a fair amount of water conditioner. I never seen any ill effects. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucifersJester Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 I used a vinegar solution to clean my tanks but I don't know if that is as effective as the bleach... Bleach, wash and wash again sounds like it's the business... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orcy Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 pure ethanol is by far the best killing agent for bacteria/fungi. but its hard to get. Bleach is a great choice, but you gotta wash really well. two days in the sun and a wash with normal water will probably do it too. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momo Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Im another for bleach, very safe if done correctly. RINSE RINSE RINSE, let stand with alot of airation and de chlorinator!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymes007 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 WHen i get wild caught rocks ← you guys crack me up. Im another for the bleach. Works wonders. cheers Jaymes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saudukar Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 I use the vinegar method. I am afraid bleach and fish arent ever supposed to mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foai Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 You were right to point out the problems of cracking with boiling water (my first method). If you think bleach is the go you should be aware there are 2 types peroxide (H2O2) which is photosensitive and extrremely water soluble so breaks down to harmless compounds which can be washed away leaving no residue AND sodium hypochlorite (HClO3) which leaves a chlorine residue and needs to be washed and washed and washed. You can get peroxide at your local chemist. Anything under the guise of "household bleach" is likely to be sodium hypochlorite. If you want to use ethanol (which is incredibly flammable and evaporates at about 34C - don't use on a hot day or near a flame) you can also buy it pure at a chemist but it will be in a very small bottle and quite expensive and therefore not costs effective. If you end up using hypochlorite make sure you do lots of washes (as others have said) and wear gloves and goggles. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colfish Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 methylated spirits will do the job admirably. totaly water soluable, no nasty residue to worry about, cheap and effective Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smee99 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Metho is 99% ethonal it has an additive to stop you drinking it as ethonal is pure alchol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trofius Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Would you beleive that 70% ethanol is better at sterilizing than 100% ethanol, !!! At work it comes in the same plastic bottles as metho but it just says 70 % ethanol/sterilizing alcohol we use 70% at work for sterilizing utensils scalpals forceps etc, for the benches or bigger areas we use 100% bleach, due to safety with flamables etc..or spray and wipe, lol Vinigear which is just diluted weak acetic acid, wont do jack diddly, well maybe a little bit. been using bleach for 10 years never had an issue with it, and it is dirt cheap.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngy_11 Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I had a similar situation not long ago. I just threw all the gravel rocks and wood out, then gave the tank a blast with the hose, throughly scrubed it with a brush and dish washing liquid. After rinsing all that out, poured boiling water in there let it sit dry for a day then started in again. I have had no problems with the few fish that survived and a few more that i added. thanks ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozarowana Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Like everyone said bleach is safe, just rinse and add dechlorinator. I have nitrite in my tap water and use bleach to get rid of it in my storage water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted March 7, 2006 Author Share Posted March 7, 2006 Hi all, Thanks for the advice . I decided to add metho to the tank last night and I have run it through the filters for 3 hours or so. I am going to drain it tonight and grab some fresh sponges for the 304 and throw away noodles. On the weekend I am going to remove it from the house give it another good old clean with a metho solution and let it sit in the sun for a day or so and then start again. It has been a very trying experience and one I hope I never have to go through again . I have hit an all time low yesterday when I found one of my better electric yellows dead with no obvious sign of disease or even stress levels . After growing this electric yellow line up for over a year and selecting the best ones from this line it is heartbreaking when I only have 2 of 10 (5 were sold off) left. This hobby is certainly a rollacoster ride and I am currently at the bottom. I am at a loss of what to do, aside from moving my colonies around again so they stop dying and get breeding. cheers rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yayo Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 You can also use Iodised salt. Before the household cleaning agents were around everything was steralised with iodine including medical tools. I use bleach on my reptile enclosures and tanks all I do is spray a good ammount from a spray pack bottle ande then rinse with a hose attachment which has setting suck as shower,flat spray,full spray. Then leave it out in the sun for about 2 hours and by the time its dry you cant even smell the bleach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caesar Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 methylated spirits will do the job admirably. totaly water soluable, no nasty residue to worry about, cheap and effective ← Agreed. I would use Metho as well. Then you would have no thoughts in the back of your brain about if you have washed it enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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