How to Clean a Disgusting Tank

So today I said goodbye to all my fishy friends in the 10 Gallon, my LFS said they'll take good care of them. With so many fish dying I decided it wasn't safe for my remaining fish. Now I'm gonna start over, this time turning the 10 G into a hospital/QT tank. I plan on using bleach to clean out the tank. Should I empty the tank and chuck the gravel, and then fill the thing to the top with a bleach/water solution? I plan on keeping some decor: a small bridge, fake plant, a cliff sort of thing with holes for the fish to swim through in it, and my heater and thermometer. By soaking this stuff in the bleach solution will it be alright to use again? Should the lid be scrubbed?

 

Ya can scrub everything down with a mild solution of distilled white vinegar and water then rinse it thoroughly with warm water. Non-porous decor can be cleaned with a bleach solution. If you have porous decor (got little hole in it, rough texture) the bleach may soak in and release later into your tank.

QT tanks don't need much in the way of decor. The bag of gravel substrate I just purchased said do not boil, but your mileage may very. If you do have to pick up new substrate dread naught as it's a buck a lb. (approximately)

 

I got given a 5gal and it had been outside for like 20years so it was filled with grub and dirt. that took some cleaning.

 

just like roxie said don't soak the porous items in bleach but the other items you can. and then don't forget to rinse the heck, so tha the bleach is gone

 

Here you go.