sterilizing / disinfecting

[trebor69]

how do you clean/sterilize/disinfect a tank after it has had an outbreak of an unknown critter that killed several/all of the fish

such as being givin a tank when you know the previous owner had major problems which killed all the fish....and you want to sterilize the tank and all of its equipment....hoses...filters...heaters etc

it has been suggested to me to use
bleach
vinegar
peroxide
potassium permanganate
high temps
extended 'dry time'
salt water (to clean fresh water tanks)
and some others I don't remember

I have also read accounts where many of the things above were not 100% effective in killing all the remaining living things in an aquarium

So...how would you go about this?

:)

[Eddie]

I use a bleach/water solution.


Eddie

[Elite Aquaria]

I use a bleach/water solution.


Eddie

I also just use bleach over 24 hours....Make sure to fill to tank to the rim...

[KDodds]

Yup, 4:1 water:bleach solution is the only thing that is going to kill all possible known pathogens.

[Yassmeena]

And if you use bleach make sure to do several very thorough rinses. I like using Seachem Prime during those rinses to be extra sure the bleach has been neutralized.

[Harriett]

In addition to the above, I strongly suggest running the filter during the entire bleach/water soak cycle. Dump any soft media like sponges. etc and start over--ceramic noodles, etc can be bleached. The filter, the hoses, everything needs bleached.
Harriett

[Don Trinko]

Bleach; It kills almost everthing and can be completly nutralized with prime, amaquel etc. before adding fish. Don T.

[TankWatcher]

I'm outvoted here, but I use a strong solution of PP. Probably at about 4-6 times the strength that you would have it to treat fish.

[Graham]

Sorry TW........I would also bleach to clean everything

G

[Yassmeena]

Sorry TW........I would also bleach to clean everything

G

Well when I wanted to get my tank clean I used bleach first and then did a thorough cleaning as if I was going to put fish in it.

And then I did PP.

hehe...:D

[Big Tuck]

No doubt about it bleach will kill everything and is the choice of many,but i like PP better,heres why.I have a high mineral content in my well water so i get a considerable build up along the water line and in some filters.I put enough PP to make the water almost black and run the tank for 24 hrs.All the deposits then come right off.I have checked water taken from the tank and found nothing alive in the water under a microscope.A light rinse,and even if a little is left in the water dosent hurt a thing. just my oppinion. Tuck

[Graham]

Tuck is your scope good enough to go oil immersion at 1000X let alone looking for virus particles

[trebor69]

I have read accounts online of people using bleach

only to find living organisms still in the tank/filter afterwards

I forget now the exact bleach concentrations and durations....but I seem to remember one lady claiming she did multiple 24hr bleach treatments and still found living things. I forget what she found...my aging memory says gamarus(sp?) though.


and 4:1 bleach solution....wow does it really take that much bleach?
thats a heckuva lot of bleach in anything bigger than a 10 gallon tank haha

am I misreading that? or would that be like 10-12 gallons of bleach in a 75 gallon tank? Or are you just using that 4:1 solution to wipe down stuff and not to fill the system and let it run?

[Eddie]

I have read accounts online of people using bleach

only to find living organisms still in the tank/filter afterwards

I forget now the exact bleach concentrations and durations....but I seem to remember one lady claiming she did multiple 24hr bleach treatments and still found living things. I forget what she found...my aging memory says gamarus(sp?) though.


and 4:1 bleach solution....wow does it really take that much bleach?
thats a heckuva lot of bleach in anything bigger than a 10 gallon tank haha

am I misreading that? or would that be like 10-12 gallons of bleach in a 75 gallon tank? Or are you just using that 4:1 solution to wipe down stuff and not to fill the system and let it run?

I use roughly that amount in a bucket and wipe everything down.

Eddie

[poconogal]

Gee, all I ever do is a very heavy concentration of salt and very hot water, soak for awhile, scrub and rinse. Very old school, and in 17 years, it has never failed me.

[Eddie]

Gee, all I ever do is a very heavy concentration of salt and very hot water, soak for awhile, scrub and rinse. Very old school, and in 17 years, it has never failed me.

You see Connie, everybody has there tactics. ;)

Eddie

[poconogal]

Yes, Eddie, everyone does, but even better is when people keep an open mind about other methods and not assume everyone else's is incorrect. :D

[Eddie]

Yes, Eddie, everyone does, but even better is when people keep an open mind about other methods and not assume everyone else's is incorrect. :D

For sure....;)

Eddie

[Big Tuck]

Hi Graham,yep my scope is capable,but i wouldnt know a virus particle if it jumped up and bit me in the ***.Im sure your right but ive used PP for over 40 years with good results,so i guess thats why ive stuck with it.Hate the smell of bleach,and worry about the residue left if not thorougly rinsed.From what ive read nothing is 100%.But like i said bleach is the choice of most,its just hard to teach a old dog new tricks.Thanks for pointing out i wasnt seeing all that might be in the water. Tuck

[Eddie]

Hi Graham,yep my scope is capable,but i wouldnt know a virus particle if it jumped up and bit me in the ***.Im sure your right but ive used PP for over 40 years with good results,so i guess thats why ive stuck with it.Hate the smell of bleach,and worry about the residue left if not thorougly rinsed.From what ive read nothing is 100%.But like i said bleach is the choice of most,its just hard to teach a old dog new tricks.Thanks for pointing out i wasnt seeing all that might be in the water. Tuck

Me too Tuck, I totally hate the smell of bleach. The wife uses it sometimes to clean and my whole day turns to _ _ _ _! LOL

Eddie

[KDodds]

You don't need to soak EVERYTHING, hard surfaces can be cleaned with the 4:1 solution. But, filters, tubing, ornaments, anything that has nooks and crannies needs to be soaked, and can be in 5g buckets, 4 gallons water, 1 gallon bleach. And yes, it takes that much. The "recipe" I've given comes from lab quality sterilization techniques. I needed to use this to sterilize our seahorse tank because of Mycobacterium. Gammarids will definitely NOT live through this, that's the point. Mycobacterium as about the "toughest" pathogenic organisms out there and this concentration is meant to insure their destruction which will, in turn, reasonably insure the death of all living organisms/pathogens. Side note, labs will NOT sterilize replacable soft surfaces, they'll replace them.

[Ed13]

1-2 cups of bleach (2%) per gallon is strong enough to kill very tough stuff( Mycobacterium bovis, HIV i.e.) but the thing is that's for non porous hard surfaces and it needs 5 min drying time. Soaking requires stronger doses or longer times, which are not neccesarily reliable since the sodium hypochlorite will react and loose it's strenght.

It's still cheaper, easier to find, stronger, and dare I say better as it will not stain "blue";) and it can be neutralized or allow to evaporate. That is my opinion:), but truth be told I love the stuff:p