cleaning used 200L barrels

[tangka]

hi guys

recently purchased a 200L used water barrel to use for my water changes. i believe the barrels had olives/gerkins in it.

i've read afew old posts and see that bi carb soda and vinegar are safe to use to clean it.

what about bleach? and the bi carb soda to get the smell out?

if anyone has any hints and tips and procedure in cleaning them it would be much appreciated.

cheers

dan

[Sloany]

Dan,

I used the bi carb and vinegar with mine. Stay away from the bleach. The vinegar is the substitute for the bleach.

I used a long handle straw broom and abit of elbow grease. Completed the process 2-3 times rinsing well each time and the smell was pretty much gone.

HTH

[AzFish]

Hey Dan,

I soaked mine in bleach for 24 hours , then scrubbed them with warm water and heaps of bi carb. then hosed them out again. They will have a bit of smell but no where near as bad as they were.

HTH

Az

[tangka]

thanks guys

i guess it wouldnt be a problem to use bleach first wash and then bi carb on the second and third wash to be safe.

cheers

Dan

[Chris.K]

how do you use the barrel for your water changes ?

[Chris.K]

how do you use the barrel for your water changes ?

It's basically for ageing water.

Fill up barrel with water, place an airstone inside. In a few days all the nasties like chlorine and other stuff should have evaporated.

i see. so then do you use a pump to get it back in the tank ? where do you put the barrel ? too heavy to move obviously.

btw: this is to replace the need to put prime in it right ? why would you do it that way ?

[Chris.K]

cool, thanks for the info.

i still havent worked out how to do water changes efficiently. when using the gravel vac i fill buckets too quickly so i use a wheelie bin and then empty it outside, not the best way.

then i just use a hose straight back into the tank to refill and add prime to the whole tank. again, not a preferable way but its fast and no mess.

[cpfc]

For water changes I siphon one bucketful. I then change the hose to 5 m of PVC hose which runs out of the window and into the garden. I have the top and bottom line marked on the tank. In the meantime I have 48 litres of water in a plastic tub with prime, cichlid salt and buffer heating. I then bucket that into the tank when ready.

BTW that bucketful is for washing the filter wool and spraybar.

A step further would be to have the tub next to the tank and a pump to take it in but frankly the 6 buckets is not too bad.

cool, thanks for the info.

i still havent worked out how to do water changes efficiently. when using the gravel vac i fill buckets too quickly so i use a wheelie bin and then empty it outside, not the best way.

then i just use a hose straight back into the tank to refill and add prime to the whole tank. again, not a preferable way but its fast and no mess.

[fongyfong]

use lees ultimate gravel cleaner, no need for buckets as the water gets siphoned straight to the sink from the pressure of the tap, if you want mine ill sell it to ya, as mine doesnt fit my tap properly

http://www.terrificpets.com/pet_supplies/f...cuums/13392.asp

[Noddy65]

use lees ultimate gravel cleaner, no need for buckets as the water gets siphoned straight to the sink from the pressure of the tap, if you want mine ill sell it to ya, as mine doesnt fit my tap properly

http://www.terrificpets.com/pet_supplies/f...cuums/13392.asp

Those things can use a lot of water...dont you have to have the tap turned on to act as s siphon?

Get a grey water drain pipe thingy from Bunnings (around $10 for 10 meteres or so)....siphon straight into that and out the door onto the grass or garden...works a treat and no more buckets

Mike