Can I bleach my white decorations?

[Bear]

I have brown algea all over my (fake) white coral decorations - it's too textured to clean.

Once I solve the brown algea problem, can I bleach the decorations and then thoroughly rinse them out and put back in the tank? If I add some bleach to a bucket and let them sit in the sun, I'm sure they'll be sparkly white again.

I have 3 pieces of large white coral, costing $100 total - I'd hate to throw them out.

Thank you!

 

[Alien_spawn]

Interesting one as I have the same question!!!

 

[FanOFish]

Yes....make sure you rinse them off well and then set them out to dry..Bleach evaporates so after they dry completely the bleach will be gone. I have a friend that uses bleach to clean his plastic and silk plants of algea.

 

[Bear]

Fabulous!

Just good ole' fashioned Clorox?

 

[Alien_spawn]

I think any non-perfumed bleach would be ok?

 

[freshmike]

Will have to be any pure form of clorine bleach....you will probably want to also nutrilize anything you treat with water conditioner as well......IMO

 

[Bear]

Nutrilize? How do you do that?

 

[lonelyneon]

(wow i'm trying to help someone >.<) I think he means nutralze as in neturalize the clorine. Just use some Aquasafe or something like that because even thought the bleach will evaporate I'm not sure if the clorine will. That is just my reasoning. I hope that is somewhat near the truth.

 

[freshmike]

(wow i'm trying to help someone >.<) I think he means nutralze as in neturalize the clorine. Just use some Aquasafe or something like that because even thought the bleach will evaporate I'm not sure if the clorine will. That is just my reasoning. I hope that is somewhat near the truth.

EXACTLY!

 

[lonelyneon]

YEAY!!! I'VE NEVER HELPED SOMEONE ABOUT FISH BEFORE!!! I'M ALWAYS THE ONE GETTING THE HELP. THIS MEANS THAT I'M KEEPING SOME OF THE INFO ABOUT THIS.. I'M SOOOOOOO HAPPYY!!!! ^.^
erm.. i'm ok

 

[Bear]

YEAY!!! I'VE NEVER HELPED SOMEONE ABOUT FISH BEFORE!!! I'M ALWAYS THE ONE GETTING THE HELP. THIS MEANS THAT I'M KEEPING SOME OF THE INFO ABOUT THIS.. I'M SOOOOOOO HAPPYY!!!! ^.^
erm.. i'm ok

HaHa!!!!!!! That's so funny - I'm the exact same way trying to help you!

Thanks for the help guys.

I'll bleach it, rinse it and let it thorouly dry, and then toss it in the bucket containing treated water to use in a water change.

 

[guppymonkey]

I have heard that some of the new bleaching products have chemicals added that are deadly to fish. Obviously bleach itself is deadly to fish but after being washed it is diluted and removed but some chemical additives (I think in some color safe bleach products) aren't removed so easily and are extremely bad for fish tanks. So try to stay with simple pure bleach.

 

[LoveMyOscar]

 

[Bear]

Ok, thank you!

 

[Exiled]

I have a friend that is the curator of the MAMMOTH saltwater tanks at the Rainforest Cafe. He says he uses Muratic Acid (from Home Depot) to clean the dead corals, then rinses them for a few hours. You might want to look into that as well.