How And What To Clean?

One of my guppies was showing signs of internal parasites, and I ended up having 3 die and I gave the rest away. How do I clean the filter, heater, decor, tank, and all that Jazz? I want to re-use some stuff. TIA

 

Do you want to rinse your filter fully and have it re-cycle or just clean some of it?

 

Do you want to rinse your filter fully and have it re-cycle or just clean some of it?

I don’t mind re-cycling, I don’t plan on putting anything in it for a while anyway.

 

Hot tap, vinegar, and if you're really concerned, bleach. None of that stuff should stick around. I wouldn't use it in substrate or filter media, but it should be fine for most everything else.

Or, clean everything off in tap, and then just let it sit dry for a week.

 

Hot tap, vinegar, and if you're really concerned, bleach. None of that stuff should stick around. I wouldn't use it in substrate or filter media, but it should be fine for most everything else.

Or, clean everything off in tap, and then just let it sit dry for a week.

Will this work for a heater as well?

 

Will this work for a heater as well?

Yup, he got to the answer before I did.

 

You can run some potassium permanganate through it. Be sure to clear out any soft gunk.

Another method, take everything out, clean the filter out well, then spray all impermeable surfaces down with 70% rubbing alcohol, and allow to air dry.

I generally don't reuse substrate unless it's impermeable, and gravel isn't. That's why I've switched to a glass pebble cap on top of organic potting soil. The soil can be thrown into the garden, and the glass pebbles can be scrubbed down, then soaked in some vinegar.