How To Sanitize A Tank

Hey gang,
I have a small tank which I need to tear down and restart (see Help - Killer Tank - Literally!). What is the best way to sanitize a tank and essentially start from scratch? How should the decorations, substrate, etc be cleaned?
Thanks for the help!
Craig

 

You probably want to avoid harsh chemicals.
You can boil things like rocks and sand.
However you clean the glass, just make sure you rinse well so no leftover soap or other residue

 

Hello!

So, there are a few ways you can go about to cleaning it, based on your preference, using bleach or vinegar, and I'll add pros and cons of each. Additionally, if you can find a container big enough (you have a relatively small tank), like one of those plastic bins they use for storage, or something similar, or even a five gallon bucket that can fit your tank (because it is slim, right?), cleaning will be easier because you can just dunk in the cleansing solution, washing the whole thing at once!

1) Bleach- it's a very good sanitizer and easy to use. I usually use a ratio of a tablespoon of bleach with two gal of water, which is a little more than enough to get the job done. However, you will want to find pure bleach, and nothing with added chemicals or something that could be a future pollutant (this is just a heads up, but don't worry too much, most brands are pure bleach anyhow, just read the label). The only downside is that there might be a slight bleach smell u may not like/want to breath, so washing in a ventilated area or outside is a good idea (but I figure you were going to do this anyways )

2) Vinegar- a good method too, and you don't have to be too precise about the measurements/diluting it in the water, and you won't have to buy a big bottle when you only need a little bit (unlike like the bleach) However, the only biggest downside is that it does leave a lingering smell on all of the stuff u wash and requires more additional washing it get rid of it. If you want, you can give a final rinse with soap and water, instead of just water, but you'll have to rinse it REALLY WELL to remove any soap.

I've done both methods and both results are equally fine. I slightly prefer the bleach method, however, because I don't have to rinse my things an extra 5-6ish times to get rid of the smell. Additionally, after your sanitization rinse, make sure to give a ultimate, final rinse in clean water either dosed with Prime or Conditoner and leave everything to fully dry for about a week or so; this will pretty much kill anything that may have been lingering through the entire process.

You can boil any driftwood you have, if you have it and substrate. However, there is a possibility that gravel could "explode" if you don't boil properly, so it's probably better just to rinse in the sanitization of choice and rinse again.

Sorry that was a lot!

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks a bunch! That helps a lot. I have a nice big utility sink in the basement that I can fill with bleach water and just put everything in at once, which should work.

A couple of follow up questions.

• How about cleaning the substrate? I have some really fine black sand-like stuff. Any thoughts on how to clean that?
  
• Also, I assume any filter foam elements/parts can be cleaned in the bleach solution as well?
• Lastly, I'm also guessing that plants are a loss? I have 3 small moss balls. Should those just get tossed?

Many thanks again.
Craig

 

The really fine black sand may be black blasting silica. As cheap as that is, I would dump it into a garden. Stirring substrates with tons of rinsing will be needed. Leaving substrate and objects out in the sun will bleach any leftover algae. Just remember the wind can bring other irritants. I would place the moss balls into a simple glass vase for a decoration if they are real and not green fabric fluff balls. Remember, starting over requires a new cycle. Good luck with the remodeling!

 

Very small amounts of Chlorine is extremely effective and cheap. A cap full of bleach in gallons of water will kill anything harmful to fish in a few minutes. Soak it for an hour or two if you want. Rinse repeatedly and very thoroughly and use a dechlorinator at the very end of process.

 

So I worked on the tank today. Completely broke it down and soaked every part in bleach water for a couple of hours. Since it is such a small tank, this was not too difficult. I then proceeded to rinse and rinse some more and let everything sit. I'll probably get back to setting it up next weekend, so it should be nice and dry by then. I found that I had quite a bit of the substrate left over, so I will just use the new stuff when I go to rebuild. The brand is the Tahitian Moon variety of this:
I'll probably give everything one more rinse-over before filling back up with water. Then it will be time to kick start a cycle. I'll keep you all posted.

 

So I'm planning on bringing the tank back up this weekend. I posted these questions in another forum, but thought I would ask here as well since its related to this tank. My stable existing 16 gallon tank runs two filters, and my plan is to pull one of the filter media pads and put it in the 5 gallon tank to kick start the cycle. A couple of questions on this:

1. How long does the donor media need to remain in the tank?
2. Does placement matter or can I just drop it in the water?
3. At what point is it safe to put in fish when doing this type of cycle?

Thanks everyone!

 

So I'm planning on bringing the tank back up this weekend. I posted these questions in another forum, but thought I would ask here as well since its related to this tank. My stable existing 16 gallon tank runs two filters, and my plan is to pull one of the filter media pads and put it in the 5 gallon tank to kick start the cycle. A couple of questions on this:

1. How long does the donor media need to remain in the tank?
2. Does placement matter or can I just drop it in the water?
3. At what point is it safe to put in fish when doing this type of cycle?

Thanks everyone!

I'm glad u got it cleaned! I'll answer in order

1) Personally, I think it should remain in there the entire duration of the cycle. I've found that it helps speed up the process and there's really no harm in leaving it there
2) Placement doesn't matter. Since bacteria grows on media, and it will do so on the new media. My friend cycled her five gallon with a seeded filter of mine and dropped it into her tank; it cycled up just fine.
3) Treat it like any type of cycle and add fish when the parameters are right. It's not really that all different than adding a bacterial starter; just more concentrated (depending on the bioload it was supporting beforehand)

Like I said, my friend used a seeded filter (from my 55g) of mine for her 5 gallon and it cycled in less than a week, pretty sure it took 4-5 days. she had fish in it by day 7 and they are fine today

 

That is good to know, thanks for the info! This might be a dumb question, but here goes..How does the seed media help bacteria to grow on the new filter media?
Thanks again!

 

That is good to know, thanks for the info! This might be a dumb question, but here goes..How does the seed media help bacteria to grow on the new filter media?
Thanks again!

No dumb questions! What happens is that bacteria is often dislodged off of media, especially if it it subjugated to water flow and movement. It does exist in the water (I know people say it doesn't, but it does to some degree. I can explain this later if someone wants to question me). But it doesn't like to move (like most aquarium bacteria does, there is a difference in bacterial types!) it'll "stick" to the media in your filter because it is a nice little safe home for it to get a good supply of food, breed, and colonize.

So, the scenario is, you have a good colony on the donated filter, but it can only hold so many colonies (hence the different sizes in filters/filter media) before they either die (outcompeted) or they get dislodged or released into the water column (then die, depending on the situation). Those bacteria will get cycled through the water flow and colonize on the new media because its untouched territory and a great new place to start breeding. And, through a normal cycle, that bacteria, plus any other bacteria that have been dislodged (and there will be quite a few as the donated filter will have reached its carrying capacity), will start breeding on the new media and voila. I hope this makes sense! You can ask for clarifications; its sorta one of those things that is easier to draw out (which I can happily do) than explain with words.

 

Great. That makes complete sense. The tank is a Fluval Spec V which has a built-in filter area, so my plan is to sandwich the seed media right along side the new one so that the water has to flow through the old to get to the new.
Another bit of feedback I received was that I would need to put fish in when I put the seed filter in, b/c the bacteria will need the waste to feed on, otherwise they would die.
So if I get the tank up and running, let the water temp settle for a day or two, then move new fish and seed media at the same time, does that seem reasonable?
Thanks again.
Craig

 

Great. That makes complete sense. The tank is a Fluval Spec V which has a built-in filter area, so my plan is to sandwich the seed media right along side the new one so that the water has to flow through the old to get to the new.
Another bit of feedback I received was that I would need to put fish in when I put the seed filter in, b/c the bacteria will need the waste to feed on, otherwise they would die.
So if I get the tank up and running, let the water temp settle for a day or two, then move new fish and seed media at the same time, does that seem reasonable?
Thanks again.
Craig

Yes, you can use fish for the ammonia source, but if your uncomfortable with subjugating a fish to that (I know I am, even if seeded) you can use some ammonia drops or fish food/flakes

 

Use feeder guppies to start your cycle. They more then likely will die anyway. Or as mentioned go with small amounts of food..
just make sure you have a good cycle and a stable tank before you add more expensive fish.

 

wash it all down with diluted white vinager then rinse repetedly to get all the vinager smell out. it really works better imo than bleach without the harmful downfalks of bleach. and if you want rest your feet in the vinegar solution to kill the callouses.lol

 

Hey gang, just wanted to update.
I put the tank back in service this weekend. I rinsed everything off one more time then added new substrate and filter media. Also added some driftwood and a java fern. I put one of the used filter media from my donor tank in and let the water settle. The next day, ammonia was reading around 1.0ppm, then fell over the next few days to about 0. Yesterday I added one little lake minnow that my daughter had caught to see how he did. As of this morning, he seems happy as could be. I'll just plan on leaving the donor cartridge in and let it help keep the peace, esp since it is out of sight in the filter compartment. I noticed that the light was not as bright, so I contacted Fluval. They said the tank has a two year warranty and would send a replacement. I'll post up some pics soon. Crossing my fingers! Thanks for the help!
Craig

 

Happy Saturday all. Here are some pictures of the tank so far. Here's to hoping!

 

So I recently had a fish die from dropsy (rip Yazi️) and I want thinking about putting some african dwarf frogs in there. How would I go about sanitizing the tank so no nothing else gets sick? Also would I have to throw out the decorations? I have silk plants, gravel, a hide, and one of those little figures that you get at petsmart. It is a 5.5 gallon btw. Thanks in advance.

 

They may come through and send you this link so I'll hit you up with it first
Sterilizing used tank and equipment

 

Dropsy is a symptom of an underlying disease, not a causal condition. The reason the fish's body swells is due to a build up of fluid in its body cavity and internal organs.

In others words: It is not necessary to sanitize tank because healthy fish do not die from dropsy.

 

Dropsy is a symptom of an underlying disease, not a causal condition. The reason the fish's body swells is due to a build up of fluid in its body cavity and internal organs.

Agree with DL. So it isn't contagious.
Waterconditions, (over)feeding, etc can be culprit. So sanitize no, taking care of good conditions yes

 

Some people nuke their tanks with peroxide to kill anything left in it. It breaks down into harmless components but does destroy your cycle. But like stated above dropsy is usually a symptom of something else and not a disease.

 

Also a cup of bleach per gallon of water can sanitize pretty much anything. Just make sure you leave it in for long enough, an hour or two should be fine. Now with fake plants you risk bleaching the color. But its worth to get rid of dropsy. I personally avoid silk plants, I found they can store harmful fungI and bacteria. Low tech plants are always better than fake!

 

Problem with bleach is you have to really make sure you get all of it out. Its very toxic to fish. Hydrogen peroxide is just as potential and breaks down into harmless compounds.

 

A 3% solution of bleach/to water is all that is needed to sanitize an aquarium. Anymore is overkill.

 

Bleach has always scared me that's why I guess I like to use peroxide.

 

Bleach has always scared me that's why I guess I like to use peroxide.

At what ratio do you use it? I hadn't thought about hydrogen peroxide...

 

Ratio hmmm I use one of the smaller bottles in my 55 or 75 gallon tank. Will look see if we have one then I could tell you better. After a day or two its breaks down into harmless compounds. Thinking I am overkill.

 

8 ounces for a 55 gallon tank. I know real exact in measuring. Lol. To sterilize plants beforw going into the tank you wouldn't need neer that concentration. First time I did it I had just lost the whole tank in a matter of two days. Never could figure out why they didn't show any signs just kind of slowed up and died. I wanted to make sure if it was something in the tank it was dead. It didnt even seem to bother the few plants I had either.

 

so I wouldnt have to sanitize the tank whatsoever even if my fish in the tank previously was sick?

 

Sick with what? Like we have mentioned, dropsy is not an illness but a symptom.
The only reason I would disinfect would be for a viral infection (very rare) or in the situation of gill flukes. And in the situation of gill flukes, if you let the tank set with no hosts for 7 days the fluke will die.

 

he had dropsy, pineconeish scales, and could not get himself off the bottom of the tank. that was all the symtons he showed

 

This tank remains a killer. No matter what I put in. All parameters are good (0,0,25). Weekly water change of about 25%, using Prime in the new water. I tried 5 little tetras. They all died within a week. I have had a Dwarf African Frog in there for awhile, but now even he is looking bad. I moved a butt-head Red Tail Shark from my main tank into here because he was attacking other fish. Within two days, his belly bloated up (Dropsy?) and he died two days later. I have no clue what is going on with this tank. I'm about ready to throw this thing in the garbage. I guess I need to tear it down AGAIN. But what could be causing so much trouble? I'm at my whits end with this thing.

 

It's been about six months since this thread started. Can you give us a timeline on stocking since then, how long they lived etc.

 

What kind of tetras did you try? I have a hard time believing its something in the tank after you cleaned it the first time.
Do you know the kh and gh of your water? What fish are you successfully keeping in your other tank?

 

Thanks for the replies. As far as a timeline, I cannot remember exactly what/when. But I do remember after the tank was up and cycling, we placed three little guppies in there. They lasted about a week. Awhile later, we tried a Beta, but he started to go downhill within about three days, so we pulled him out. The gal at the pet store seemed to think my chlorine was high, which I thought was odd b/c I always treat with Prime during water changes. I bought some strips to monitor the Chlorine and it seemed to be at zero. A few weeks later I had tried the 5 black tetras. They all died within a week. They would be fine for a day, then lethargic for a couple of days, then dead within a couple more.
More water changes, more waiting, watching. I put a Dwarf African Frog in the tank and he was actually doing good for quite a while. We've had him for about 3 months, but the past two weeks, he has seemed to go downhill. Then the Red Tail I mentioned above.
As far as my main tank, we have several variety of Corys, a Clown Pleco, Otto Catfish, Black Loach, a couple of lake minnows, and two Flame Platies. The tank is fairly heavily planted with pressurized CO2. I do not know the kh and gh. The ph has always been in the mid 7s.
Thanks again.

 

Sounds like a tough tank. Black tetras are hard to kill. There is no reason why a tank can not be cleaned. I have sanitized with bleach a hundred times. Just rinse and maybe dry it overnight. If that scares you use a bottle of hydrogen peroxide It's a small tank right? If it was my tank I would go very methodical with it and figure it out making very slow changes. I would probably go as far as to bring a filter cycled in from your main tank, maybe even fill the tank with water from your main tank. Clean water of course, perhaps a few day days after a large WC. Add water from another source for a little while. Normal dose of Prime. Add fish slow. Only hardy species from a good source not likely to be diseased. Maybe move a few cory from your main tank. You know they are acclimated your water supply. To troubleshot problems you have to keep variables to an absolute minimum. Hope you figure it out very soon.

 

So the tank has been sitting empty (no fish, water and plants only) for several weeks. I turned off the filter, heater, and light and have basically ignored it
So I am going to go through and break this tank down again and start from scratch.

My main question has to do with the plants and driftwood. Should they be tossed or is there anyway to be sure they don't bring any bad mojo into the sterilized tank? I thought the driftwood could go in the oven to dry it out, but I was not certain about what to do with the plants other than pitch them.
Thanks for your time and inputs!
Craig

 

So the tank has been sitting empty (no fish, water and plants only) for several weeks. I turned off the filter, heater, and light and have basically ignored it
So I am going to go through and break this tank down again and start from scratch.

My main question has to do with the plants and driftwood. Should they be tossed or is there anyway to be sure they don't bring any bad mojo into the sterilized tank? I thought the driftwood could go in the oven to dry it out, but I was not certain about what to do with the plants other than pitch them.
Thanks for your time and inputs!
Craig

You have a good plan for the driftwood. Plants make me nervous sometimes too but it is probably unwarranted. Many of our problems require a fish host to survive for long. They generally do not spread disease IMO but I can't prove that adequately. So I generally put plants in a container with clean water. A short soak in chlorinated tap water isn't a bad plan either. Plants will not die if they are dipped in tap water for a few minutes, but a lot of pathogens will. Rinse them and change the tub water daily for at least a few days. I've never had disease return to a sterilized tank. I always clean and allow the tank to dry. Soak the substrate in extremely hot water.