Concerned About Bleach Getting In Tank

Hello guys, I say some brown algae starting to grow in my fish tank and I kept searching around and it seemed to me that putting my fake aquarium plants in bleach was the best solution. The only problem is: how do I make sure the bleach won't get into my tank and kill the fish?

Here's what I did: I took out the fake plants and put them into a 5 gal bucket and filled it with water. I then added maybe like 1/10 of a cup of bleach AT MOST because I was paranoid of this issue.

What should I do? Am I overreacting? Can I still use the same bucket to refill the water for a water change after rinsing it?

Thank you

 

Once you soak it in bleach and scrub it rinse it in water and then you could also soak it in water. Then dry it and you will be good!

 

You could also soak everything in the bucket filled with water, and 2-3x the amount of dechlorinator in the bucket after a through rinse first.

 

If it's diatoms, I don't think you need to go as far as bleaching them. If this is a new setup, it's likely the brown algae may return anyway. I'd just take them out and wipe them off. If you think your lights are on too long, try reducing them to see if it helps.

 

I always leave the plants in my sink under hot running water for about 3 minutes