cleansing tanks?

[Bettabelieveit]

I was wondering a good way to clean out tanks real good, seeing how soap isn't an option -- Wilbur was in both of my holding tanks and I don't want my other boys to get whatever nasty illness he had. Any help with this would be great

 

[soritan]

Soap and water *is* an option, you just gotta rinse it repeatedly until it's okay. Someone on here (bettamoma?) puts bleach in her tanks, and then puts them in the shower for x amount of minutes to rinse.

I have measly little bowls, so I put mine in the dish washer. I kinda change how I do it each time, but usually I do it 1 cycle with soap, and then run it through again once without. and then when I pull it out, i rinse it off and fill it with water to set for the next time I plunk a boy in there.

 

[mm_simb]

I used Dawn (dishwashing soap) when all my fishes died. I washed it and rinsed completely and everything was fine.

 

[BettaMomma]

If your tank is glass - you should sterilize it.
You use 20 parts scalding hot water to 1 part clorox bleach. You leave that sit in the tank for 20 minutes. Then you rinse it about 40 times in your sink, fill it up with scalding hot water and about 10 times the normal amount of dechlorinator (I squirt dechlor all over the whole thing everywhere) and then dump it back out. Then you turn on your shower as absolutely hot as it will go, then put the tank under it for about 20 minutes.

Some people like to let them cure in the sun, I have personally filled the tank up minutes after removing it from the shower and have never had a problem.

If you have an acrylic tank, you can not use bleach.
In a case like that, I always use about a cup of aquarium salt with scalding hot water and leave it to soak for several minutes - until you see the salt dissolve. Then rinse, rinse rinse. I've never had any issues with this either.