Disinfecting my system . . . AGAIN. Stendker's advice

[DonMD]

It looks very likely that I will have to euthanize all my fish and disinfect my entire system, due to Cryptobia.

I was browsing through Stendker's web page, sort of thinking how I'd repopulate my tanks, and happened on this advice for used tanks. They say to use hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours to clean out any bacteria or pathogens. They recommend 0.5 litres of a 30 % hydrogen peroxide solution to 180 litres of water.

How does this compare with using Clorox for disinfecting? What are your preferences? Thanks.

[wadewc]

Sorry to hear about that. I never used that method but I would not dispute Stendkers advice. I use bleach to disinfect all of my tanks if needed. If you use bleach you need to make sure you rinse well!!

Just my two cents,
Wae

[seanyuki]

hi Don,

hydrogen peroxide 30% is food grade product......usually at pharmacy is only 3%..........imo for disinfecting the tank use bleach is easier and drain the water and air dry for 24-48 hrs.

just sharing....

http://www.h2o2-4u.com/grades.html

[Keith Perkins]

hi Don,

hydrogen peroxide 30% is food grade product......usually at pharmacy is only 3%..........imo for disinfecting the tank use bleach is easier and drain the water and air dry for 24-48 hrs.

just sharing....

http://www.h2o2-4u.com/grades.html



+1, though I have considered trying PP.

[TURQ64]

hi Don,

hydrogen peroxide 30% is food grade product......usually at pharmacy is only 3%..........imo for disinfecting the tank use bleach is easier and drain the water and air dry for 24-48 hrs.

just sharing....

http://www.h2o2-4u.com/grades.html

+1

[PAR23]

Agree with using bleach. Rinse well AND allow it to air dry

[seanyuki]

Hi Keith......have used both PP and bleach in the past........being lazy always......PP more work to do...........hard to drain all the pp from the tank.....the last few remaining gallons of it and need many bath towels to absorb it..............the cons leaving PP in the tank for too long and have brown stains everywhere and takes forever to scrub it clean again lol........for future use just bought a wet dry vac last night to suck up all the remaining water out of the tank.

this wet dry vac can be connected to a garden hose too as being lazy again......no carry buckets anymore.

this what i got yesterday lol

watch the video.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/ShopEquipment/ShopVacuums/PRD~0540031P/Shop-Vac+Wet%2BDry+Pump+Vac%2C+36.4+L.jsp?locale=en

[brewmaster15]

Don,
Sorry to hear about your issues again.:( I've always used Bleach myself here....but 30% hydrogen peroxide is supposed to be very effective...I've also read up on using a combination of peroxide and vinegar back to back...its supposed to make a real effective sanitizer.... But its really hard for an average person to find.
-al

[DonMD]

for future use just bought a wet dry vac last night to suck up all the remaining water out of the tank.

this wet dry vac can be connected to a garden hose too as being lazy again......no carry buckets anymore.

this what i got yesterday lol

watch the video.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/ShopEquipment/ShopVacuums/PRD~0540031P/Shop-Vac+Wet%2BDry+Pump+Vac%2C+36.4+L.jsp?locale=en

Jeez, and I just bought a shop vac, of course w/o such a nifty feature. Go figure.

Thanks for the responses.

[lipadj46]

be very very careful with 30% H2O2 it is very strong stuff. if you store it keep it in the fridge and make sure the bottle is the accordian expanding type. they use that strength to bleach wood pulp lol

sent from my ti-85 during chemistry class

[Sean Buehrle]

This really stinks, sorry for your troubles.

Do you have any idea or suspicions how your tanks were infected ?

Was there a timeframe that you started noticing problems or anything?

[j123]

Instead of a shop vac. You can get a small water pump at Menards or Home depot for less than $50 that you can connect a garden hose on each each end -- inlet and outlet. It empties your tank really quick. No mess no worry, and you don't even have to start a syphon.

[DonMD]

Instead of a shop vac. You can get a small water pump at Menards or Home depot for less than $50 that you can connect a garden hose on each each end -- inlet and outlet. It empties your tank really quick. No mess no worry, and you don't even have to start a syphon.

Cool, thanks.

[Disgirl]

Very sorry to hear this Don, lots more discus for you later on I know! Good luck with the clean up.
Barb

[DonMD]

Thanks, Barb, appreciate it.

[jimg]

Hi Don went through the same thing it was suggested to me to use 200ppm bleach for 1 hr min the alcohol 15 mins then air dry then I used povidone iodine to make sure of no spores,fungi,molds,etc.

[DonMD]

Hi Don went through the same thing it was suggested to me to use 200ppm bleach for 1 hr min the alcohol 15 mins then air dry then I used povidone iodine to make sure of no spores,fungi,molds,etc.

Hey, Jim, thanks. But, could you re-phrase this? I'm not getting the alcohol issue. Thanks.

[Hicgup]

Don, sorry to hear this. Any idea about the source of Cryptobia? I am not familiar with this flagellate, but I have heard it can even be introduced through old food. Scary.
I hope your re-start is smooth and clean!

[jimg]

Hey, Jim, thanks. But, could you re-phrase this? I'm not getting the alcohol issue. Thanks.
The alcohol has to remain wet for 15 minutes then air dry. if you spray it and it dries in 5 minutes, that is not enough contact time with some pathogens. I would think it's because it has to thoroughly soak in then dry to be most effective.

[John_Nicholson]

Don sorry to hear it. I have always used bleach.

-john

[DonMD]

The alcohol has to remain wet for 15 minutes then air dry. if you spray it and it dries in 5 minutes, that is not enough contact time with some pathogens. I would think it's because it has to thoroughly soak in then dry to be most effective.

Jim, sorry, but I'm still confused. Are you saying to conduct a wipe-down using 200 ppm bleach, then another wipe-down or spray with alcohol (keep wet for 15 minutes)? I had figured to circulate a bleach solution in the tanks for 24 hours (tanks topped up to the inside of the top rim), including my storage barrel and all fixed pvc plumbing. Then to drain and replenish with clean water. Circulate, then drain and air dry, probably for a month.

[jimg]

Jim, sorry, but I'm still confused. Are you saying to conduct a wipe-down using 200 ppm bleach, then another wipe-down or spray with alcohol (keep wet for 15 minutes)? I had figured to circulate a bleach solution in the tanks for 24 hours (tanks topped up to the inside of the top rim), including my storage barrel and all fixed pvc plumbing. Then to drain and replenish with clean water. Circulate, then drain and air dry, probably for a month.what I was told to do was soak everything in 200ppm bleach for 1 hr then dry, then spray/wipe with alcohol but keep it wet for 15 mins then air dry. that was suggested by a pathologist. the povidone iodine was suggested by another (who i trust 100%) to make sure of any spores because I also had microsporidians. the filter sponges I got new, the wood I soaked in bleach but bleach won't penetrate the wood, only the water will so I put it in the oven at 350 for (I think)about an hour the bio media (hard) i bought new, anything left I sprayed with betadine and let dry.
I did more than 200ppm myself and left the tanks full and ran everything most of the day and some for 24 hrs.
I figure the 200 ppm would be fine for easy to get surfaces, but I worried about the minute spaces under the silicone etc.

[DonMD]

what I was told to do was soak everything in 200ppm bleach for 1 hr then dry, then spray/wipe with alcohol but keep it wet for 15 mins then air dry. that was suggested by a pathologist. the povidone iodine was suggested by another (who i trust 100%) to make sure of any spores because I also had microsporidians. the filter sponges I got new, the wood I soaked in bleach but bleach won't penetrate the wood, only the water will so I put it in the oven at 350 for (I think)about an hour the bio media (hard) i bought new, anything left I sprayed with betadine and let dry.
I did more than 200ppm myself and left the tanks full and ran everything most of the day and some for 24 hrs.
I figure the 200 ppm would be fine for easy to get surfaces, but I worried about the minute spaces under the silicone etc.Thanks, Jim!

[jimg]

Thanks, Jim! Anytime Don.. Hope it helped

[brady]

What exactly is cryptobia?
Jay

[jimg]

flagellate

[DonMD]

What exactly is cryptobia?
Jay
If you really want to know, PM me with your personal email address, and I will send you a .pdf file sent to me by the aquatic veterinarian.

[mmorris]

I'm so sorry to hear, Don. What an awful thing to have to do. This hobby, eh? The highs are so high, and the lows so low.

[brewmaster15]

Cryptobia info by University of Florida...

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm077

credits...
"1.This document is VM104, one of a series of the Veterinary Medicine-Pathobiology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date January 1, 1999. Revised April 12, 2002. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.Ruth Francis Floyd, DVM, MS, Extension Veterinarian for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and Professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Roy Yanong, VMD, Assistant Professor for Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, 1408 24th St. S E, Ruskin, FL 33570"



hth,
al

[Vince-Lenny]

+1, though I have considered trying PP.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is "PP"?

[DonMD]

PP = Potassium Permanganate, a strong oxidizer. Often used to eradicate external parasites and to sterilize things. Very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

[JamesHe]

PP (dark purple) then use Vitamin C to neutralize it.

[seanyuki]

usually hobbyists here use Hydrogen peroxide to neutralize PP.............using PP (1) treat sick discus or (2) sterilize tank/equipments ..........big difference.....many threads here in SD forum the usage using Potassium permanganate .



PP (dark purple) then use Vitamin C to neutralize it.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Potassium Permagenate can also flash...so be careful...don't smoke (well you shouldn't smoke anyway, but that's another topic altogether) around it.

[Brokenrack]

Potassium Permagenate can also flash...so be careful...don't smoke (well you shouldn't smoke anyway, but that's another topic altogether) around it.


http://www.instructables.com/id/Decomposition-of-Hydrogen-peroxide-by-Potassium-pe/

[Rummy]

If I remember correctly, the alcohol penetrates the cell membranes of certain resistant bacteria, i.e. mycobacterium. I feel it is an essential step.

So sorry to hear about it. The best of luck for you with your future discus.