Bleach Use in Aquariums

[noobfish]

Bet that title made a few hearts skip a beat!

**Disclaimer** I am not anywhere near a chemist (more of a mechanical mind) and I am not attempting to state anything as fact or suggesting that anyone use any products they aren't comfortable with. I am simply thinking out loud.

I'm talking about in the cleaning of tanks and equipment before use, as well as, the "dip" method for plants. I've always been on the side of never using bleach anywhere near the tank. However, a recent thread and the differing views of vinegar solution vs. bleach solution got me thinking more about it.
Now, looking at the ingredients of Clorox Bleach, it seems the active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite. So, sodium... salt. It's said that salt can, in appropriate doses, be ok, even beneficial to our aquatic friends. If a diluted solutions of bleach were to be used to say, clean an empty tank, the sodium contained in the solution would be so low that a thorough subsequent rinse would effectively remove it to minuet traces. That leaves hypochlorite, which seems to produce chlorine. Again, with a properly diluted solution, the levels of this are low. And with the thorough rinsing, you are probably left with trace residue on the surfaces (this excludes and porous items that could absorb the solution and release over a greater period of time). With the trace levels of hypochlorite or chlorine left, wouldn't the water conditioner take care of removing it and make the tank safe?

I'm sure there's a part I'm missing here, but I'm starting to question whether a bleach solution for cleaning is such a risky move. Not that I'm ready to start using it, but wonder what other more scientific minds think.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I know enough about chemistry to know that I really don't know enough about chemistry. You can take two harmless elements and create something deadly. You can take two deadly elements and create something harmless.

I never assume that just because I know what the ingredients are that I know what the end result of mixing them will be.

That being said though I have used both bleach and vinegar to clean tanks out in the past. I use bleach when I wanted to make sure it was 100% sterile. I have used vinegar when it was just dirty/gross and needed something a bit more than water to get clean.

Never had issues with either. Even with corals which are probably the most sensitive thing you are ever going to put in a fish tank. Make sure your bleach is diluted and make sure you scrub and rinse either one out completely and you will be ok.

Unless you have a tiny tank any residue left after scrubbing and rinsing well is going to be so diluted it is unlikely to cause any problems.

Edit: This is for cleaning tanks and other non-porous surfaces. I would not use either of them on anything that is porous.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Bet that title made a few hearts skip a beat!

**Disclaimer** I am not anywhere near a chemist (more of a mechanical mind) and I am not attempting to state anything as fact or suggesting that anyone use any products they aren't comfortable with. I am simply thinking out loud.

I'm talking about in the cleaning of tanks and equipment before use, as well as, the "dip" method for plants. I've always been on the side of never using bleach anywhere near the tank. However, a recent thread and the differing views of vinegar solution vs. bleach solution got me thinking more about it.
Now, looking at the ingredients of Clorox Bleach, it seems the active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite. So, sodium... salt.

No...salt is sodium chloride.
Sodium is actually an alkali metal.
It can combine with many other elements, to form a wide range of different chemicals.

Please lose the idea that Sodium = Salt = Safe for fish.

If a diluted solutions of bleach were to be used to say, clean an empty tank, the sodium contained in the solution would be so low that a thorough subsequent rinse would effectively remove it to minuet traces.

To summarise and avoiding chemistry lessons, you can use bleach to clean, provided the cleaned item is thoroughly rinsed afterwards...and I mean thoroughly. The more dilute the bleach, the easier it will be to remove.
Many suggest using a diluted bleach to kill unwanted creatures on plants and it can do that...provided the plants are rinsed properly afterwards.

Some suggest soaking wood in bleach to perform the same function. I'd never advocate this, because the wood will likely absorb the bleach and takes a lot of rinsing and soaking and rinsing again, to remove the bleach.

 

[noobfish]

No...salt is sodium chloride.
Sodium is actually an alkali metal.
It can combine with many other elements, to form a wide range of different chemicals.

Please lose the idea that Sodium = Salt = Safe for fish.

Perhaps the wording was wrong, but per Clorox, the "sodium" in their bleach is derived from running electrical current through saltwater from the San Francisco Bay area.

 

[noobfish]

Perhaps the wording was wrong, but per Clorox, the "sodium" in their bleach is derived from running electrical current through saltwater from the San Francisco Bay area.

And one of the main functions of bleach, the removal of color, is in part achieved through oxidation. Oxidation in this form is achieved with salt.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Perhaps the wording was wrong, but per Clorox, the "sodium" in their bleach is derived from running electrical current through saltwater from the San Francisco Bay area.

I'm just aware that many read these Forums who haven't got the foggiest idea about any science and yet will believe all they read on the internet.
I think I understand what you're thinking and it is simpler to understand that most cleaning products can be used, PROVIDED there is sufficient dilution and rinsing afterwards.

There is much 'discussion' about vinegar vs. bleach and vinegar tends to come out on top, because it is 'organic' and deemed less toxic. Bleach is 'chemicals'. Vinegar will evaporate more easily, leaving very little, if any, residue. That said, even vinegar is best rinsed away after a tank clean.

 

[Slaphppy7]

If you want to disinfect, use bleach...and rinse thoroughly, as already suggested

If you want to clean, use vinegar...at my house, plain white vinegar has replaced many of the cleaners we used to buy...much cheaper, safer, and always readily available

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

...much cheaper, safer, and always readily available

And it doesn't cause harm to the environment when poured away down the sink.

 

[noobfish]

I'm just aware that many read these Forums who haven't got the foggiest idea about any science and yet will believe all they read on the internet.
I think I understand what you're thinking and it is simpler to understand that most cleaning products can be used, PROVIDED there is sufficient dilution and rinsing afterwards.

There is much 'discussion' about vinegar vs. bleach and vinegar tends to come out on top, because it is 'organic' and deemed less toxic. Bleach is 'chemicals'. Vinegar will evaporate more easily, leaving very little, if any, residue. That said, even vinegar is best rinsed away after a tank clean.

Oh I'm still on team hot water and a clean sponge. I haven't encountered a big enough aquarium mess to use a cleaning solution yet. Just things that get me thinking.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Oh I'm still on team hot water and a clean sponge. I haven't encountered a big enough aquarium mess to use a cleaning solution yet. Just things that get me thinking.

Vinegar is an excellent algae/hard water/scum cleaner on aquarium glass, glass lids, and even plastic trim...I use it on these items often

 

[noobfish]

And it doesn't cause harm to the environment when poured away down the sink.

To that the bleach manufacturers say...

"During the laundering process, about 95 to 98 percent of household bleach quickly breaks down into oxidized salt and biodegradables, which is the primary reaction that makes it environmentally friendly."



EDIT: They wouldn't lie to me, would they?!?!

 

[noobfish]

Vinegar is an excellent algae/hard water/scum cleaner on aquarium glass, glass lids, and even plastic trim...I use it on these items often

For sure. We use it to clean stainless steel, the dishwasher, etc.

I still haven't opened the pack of Mr. Clean Original yet. It's just sitting in the closet with my aquarium supplies. Not sure I'm ready to trust that shiny headed man just yet!

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

To that the bleach manufacturers say...

"During the laundering process, about 95 to 98 percent of household bleach quickly breaks down into oxidized salt and biodegradables, which is the primary reaction that makes it environmentally friendly."



EDIT: They wouldn't lie to me, would they?!?!

No...and what they say is true.
However, 'quickly' is a relative term and there's still the 'oxidised salt' and 'biodegradables' to consider.
Vinegar is acetic acid, a natural product formed, for example, when fruit goes off.

 

[Slaphppy7]

For sure. We use it to clean stainless steel, the dishwasher, etc.

I still haven't opened the pack of Mr. Clean Original yet. It's just sitting in the closet with my aquarium supplies. Not sure I'm ready to trust that shiny headed man just yet!

I assure you, the Magic Erasers are perfectly fine to use in your tanks...the ORIGINAL, that is...

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

If you want to disinfect, use bleach...and rinse thoroughly, as already suggested

If you want to clean, use vinegar...at my house, plain white vinegar has replaced many of the cleaners we used to buy...much cheaper, safer, and always readily available

This is my approach too.

I went the bleach route when I had an outbreak of camallanus worms, because I really wanted those suckers and any eggs dead. So the emptied tank, the buckets, nets, syphon, even the sponge filter got cleaned in diluted bleach.

Yes, meant many rinsings, and on the advice of @Essjay (being our qualified chemist) also soaked everything in triple-dosed water conditioner, before allowing it all to thoroughly air dry. That was thorough enough to remove any traces, haven't had a problem.

I also wouldn't use it on something porous like stone or wood.

I find vinegar useful for cleaning some fish tank related stuff, especially being a hardwater area, but stick to tank water and paper towels as much as possible.

ETA: If you use bleach for something fish tank related, it's important to get plain, thick bleach. Nothing with perfumes or thinning agents that could leave a residue.