Have I just atomically messed up?

So I collected a good heap of driftwood from a local creek/lake for my new 40 gallon tank. They're pretty large pieces, far too large for me to properly boil so I said, "heck, why not use bleach? I've heard of that before." I did a quick google to find out much bleach to use and it popped up with 9 parts water and 1 part bleach. I poured the water into the AQUARIUM THAT I AM GOING TO USE and then added the bleach. Maybe about 9 gallons of water and about 1 gallon of bleach. Whatever I used to measure wasn't quite a gallon, maybe 3/4th a gallon. Whatever, it followed the measurements.

So. I've left it sat in the tank for 10 hours now. The wood turned WHITE! IT SMELLS LIKE AN INDOOR SWIMMING POOL IN HERE! My arms and hands are so itchy from touching the dilute solution of bleach water.

Nonetheless, I looked up the recipe again and it said to use ONE TEASPOON of bleach per gallon to safely disinfect wild driftwood. Is my driftwood ruined? I just emptied out all the bleach water and replaced it with normal tapwater. Can I still use the tank? Are both my tank and driftwood completely useless now? How do I salvage this?

 

For future reference, you can bake the wood in the oven if it is too big for the pot, you can get it hot enough to kill creepy crawlies and bacteria that way, too.

The tank might be able to be used eventually, a whole lot of rinsing will be involved. I don't know about the wood, since the bleach probably soaked in.

 

The chlorine will go away as long as everything dries out. Bleach is commonly used to sterilize food processing equipment, once it dries it's good. Maybe wanna leave the wood out in the sun for a while.

I actually pay for driftwood because not all wood is safe, and I can barely tell one tree from another when they are alive. Generally speaking, hardwood except probly walnut are safe and softwood is not. There are list online of what's safe. Good luck.

 

For future reference, you can bake the wood in the oven if it is too big for the pot, you can get it hot enough to kill creepy crawlies and bacteria that way, too.

The tank might be able to be used eventually, a whole lot of rinsing will be involved. I don't know about the wood, since the bleach probably soaked in.

Oh, man, I wish I could use my oven. I'm in a 2-room apartment where the kitchen isn't its own room, it's in the corner of the dining/living room. My oven is literally, LITERALLY half the size of a normal oven! I had to give away my pans because the oven door wouldn't close.

At least I didn't spend any money picking up the wood, but it is kind of irritating.

The chlorine will go away as long as everything dries out. Bleach is commonly used to sterilize food processing equipment, once it dries it's good. Maybe wanna leave the wood out in the sun for a while.

I actually pay for driftwood because not all wood is safe, and I can barely tell one tree from another when they are alive. Generally speaking, hardwood except probly walnut are safe and softwood is not. There are list online of what's safe. Good luck.

I'll find a nice spot at a friend's house and let it sit because I have no outdoor space. Good thing I won't be using this aquarium for a while. I have to open a window in my room to let all the fumes out.

Thanks for the advice.

 

you can just put it in a bucket or large tote of water and put it outside for the sun to offgass the bleach and chlorine.until you see mosquito larvae in the bucket, then it's been neutralized and can sustain life.


As far as doing it again, Hydrogen peroxide is much safer. 3-5% hydrogen peroxide solution will kill microbes. you'd basically put the driftwood outside and let the sun neutralize the overdose of bleach going on. Change the water daily for about a week with new chlorinated tap water, then let it sit for a couple days until the mosquitos appear. when that minimal chlorine evaporates.
Then really it's one more water change with tap water to kill the mosquito larvae and its done.

If it's not safe, the mosquitos can't live it it. you've likely killed off the microbes and wiped out any tanins with what you've done already, so now it's just soaking it to get the chlorine out of it.