AQUARIUM CLEANING

[Tyger]

Greetings Folks,

I came across a 25-Gallon that is being given away though the tank was poorly kept and will require a serious cleaning including to deal with the smell. I was thinking of filling the tank to the brim with tap water and a cup of bleech, letting it soak, and giving it a good cleaning in one-two days. I did, however, want to check whether soaking the tank with bleech is a good idea or what others might recommend. Open to any suggestions.

~Tyger (Michael)~

[Ben Belton]

I've Clorox'ed a tank before. Didn't even kill the moss growing under the silicon in the corners. After a few months, it grew right back out. Next time I'll use a stronger dilution.

[Cristy Keister]

There was an excellent article in the Delta Tale (PVAS's pub) about using salt to sterilize. If you mix a solution of 4 cups salt per gallon in hot water (leave overnight to dissolve as much as possible), it will kill all parasites and bacterium with a minute of exposure. You can use any kind of non-iodized salt, including rock salt. You don't have to fill the tank, just scrub it with the solution. Just rinse after use, no need to worry about residuals as you would with bleach. I'm using it to sterilize my plants and equipment from now on.

[jweis]

That's a good tip.