Cleaning a tank that was cleaned with Dawn

[chkltcow]

A co-worker of mine gave me an old tank he had, and I told him don't go to any trouble to clean it or anything... just give it to me.... because I wanted to make sure he didn't use any soap in it. Well... this morning I told him I had gotten it down and soaked it in Oxyclean to clean it up, since I can't use soap. He said "Oh... you're not supposed to use soap? I rinsed it out with Dawn before I brought it to you."

So... how bad is this? What can I do to finish cleaning it and make sure there's no residue from the Dawn? Is there any way to test it to see? Would a higher than normal pH be an indication?

 

[canarsie11]

I do not think its good....

If it is possible to get rid of the elements of the soap 100%, I would imagine it will be alot of work. I have been lead to beleive elements of soap would be around, no matter what!

 

[StinaUIUC]

I've used hand soap many times to clean out tanks...and never had any troubles caused by it.......I just rinsed really really well.

 

[canarsie11]

Could be right! i just always heard it was a no no

 

[Jenny514b]

I didnt even know you could use Oxyclean?!?

 

[canarsie11]

 

[Inchworm]

Hi chkltcow

I called Proctor & Gamble for you and spoke to one of their Customer Representatives (Cindy) about this.

She said that while they haven't tested the product on fish tanks, it is made with an "easy rinse formula" for use on dishes. This means it should leave very little residue and that what is left should be easily removed.

When asked what we would normally use to clean a tank, I told her salt. She suggested rewashing the tank with salt and rinsing it well, and said that should remove all remaining traces of the detergent.

While I would never recommend using a dish detergent to clean tanks, what she says does make sense and, if it were mine, I would do just that and take a chance. Just stock it lightly for a while to be sure that the normal cycling process is taking place and that the fish remain well.

Good luck with your new tank. Please let me know how it works out.

 

[Undawada]

Just to be safe, if you have access to a high pressure hose of some type, try that. It might blast off some of the residue, watch your sealant though.

Also agitate the water alot (with some sort of spray) and if you get any bubbles at all remaining on the surface, I'd keep rinsing.

 

[guppymonkey]

Repeated rinsing should get rid of the soap residue. As long as none of the soap got under any of the sealant it should be cleaned out relatively easily, it will just take more time. I hate having to reclean second hand tanks. I usually just use a razor blade to scrape off hard water residue unless the tank is really really disgusting.