Cleanings' a BLEACH

[Shan_Evolved]

Alright could use some famous SD wisdom.

This is my first time fully bleach cleaning an empty tank + equipment so bear with me.

Also might I quickly add how much of a pain it was to find bleach during these times. My local home depot has been sold out of bleach 4 hours after they make it to the shelves. Took my almost a week and a half to find enough bleach to clean both my barrel and my tank.

Anyways, I've followed the instructions of the interwebs and used a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water mixture. I put all my equipment in the bare bottom tank, and just started pouring. I think I must have gone through like 15L of bleach. The tank was so cloudy I couldn't see past like 2 inches. I let it soak for a couple of hours.

I then carefully ruined a T shirt by not taking it off during the maintenance. I drained the mixture and let air dry the past few days.

I took every piece of equipment and rinsed it thoroughly, then laid it all out on a towel to also dry.

Oh! I also found something out I might have screwed up the first time not sure how. So the aging barrel I have been using is used, and comes from someone whom I'm not sure what they used it for. It's a 55 white drum that was enclosed all the way around. I had to take a saw to remove the top permanently. So I think maybe it was used for pickles? But not sure. Anyways, my mistake I realized now is that I only used 0.5L or half a bottle of chlorine when I cleaned it the first time. By the off chance it was used for something different than pickles, perhaps I didn't sterilize the barrel prior.

Anyways, I used the strong bleach mixture from my tank and moved it directly to my barrel with a pump and then let it soak in the barrel overnight.

My room now smells like a clean pool


Anyways thanks for reading just wanted to share and perhaps get some critique whether or not I'm sanitizing correctly.


I did not rinse the tank afterwords as I am letting it completely air dry first. I read that bleach is neutralized when completely dry so I'm getting that happen first. Then I will fill the tank up and empty it twice and let dry a second time. Or is that too much?

[Willie]

Bleach is a 5.5% solution of sodium hypochlorite. When dry, it converts completely to chlorine gas. So when bleached soaked surfaces are dry, it is completely free of chlorine. I've seen lots of YouTubers talk about using a dechlorinator to rinse stuff, but it's not necessary. Note that you will smell chlorine, but it's a gas not a liquid. The chlorine smell typically goes away after 24 hours.

Willie

P.S. We all have bleached T-shirts. LOL.

[kev1310]

Just to add, there's no need to fill a tank with a strong bleach solution, it kills and sterilizes pretty quickly at that strength so some in the bottom of the tank and a good wipe down of the sides with it does the job just as well, then a quick rinse to remove residue and air dry and you're good to go.

[jeep]

And now we know why we have a bleach shortage I just use a 10% solution of bleach to water in a spray bottle and I always add some Dawn dish liquid. The Dawn is pretty safe stuff and works great at braking down any oils or solvents that may have had a chance to enter the system. A good rinse and I'm good to go. It took me ruining about 10 of my favorite shirts to remember not to wear them when using bleach, lol...

I think you're good to go!!

[LizStreithorst]

That has never been a problem for me. I'm so short that my T shirts get soaking wet when I work in my tanks so I go topless when I go to work in the fish room.

[Megalodon]

I bought a pound of calcium hypochlorite powder. That can make a lot of bleach. Pool stores will carry it but they sometimes have algaecides or other junk in there that are undesirable.

[coralbandit]

I bought a pound of calcium hypochlorite powder. That can make a lot of bleach. Pool stores will carry it but they sometimes have algaecides or other junk in there that are undesirable.

^^THIS^^
Pool shock is just stronger chlorine then bleach and easily found .

[LizStreithorst]

Shoot, i'd just give them a through spray, wipe it in, and let it dry,

[Shan_Evolved]

That has never been a problem for me. I'm so short that my T shirts get soaking wet when I work in my tanks so I go topless when I go to work in the fish room.

Just boxers for me now. I might as well be swimming with the fishes