How do you sterilise tanks and equipment?

[Lajos_Detari]

If I am not wrong, I read somewhere that says that vinegar won't destroy the eggs or kill parasites though it's a good cleaning chemical as its easy to rinse it off.

Only bleach can destroy the eggs though not 100% according to some research.
But I guess bleach is still the most effective than all other chemicals like Potassium Permanganate, Hydrogen Peroxide, Methylene Blue, etc.

But according to Colin, don't leave the bleach for more than 5 mins in the tank as its corrosive and will damage the silicone.

For me, I will use concentrated bleach without dilution with water and a sponge to scrub the whole tank and quickly rinse them off with a few rounds of water.
I will leave some fresh water for a while in tank in case there is residue of bleach in the tank.
Then let the tank dry for a few days.

For nets, I like to put them in a bucket and pour boiling water on them and let them soak for 10-20mins.
Then I will dry the nets and bucket under the hot sun. But probably bleach is also effective.
The temperature of the water need to be hot.
The temperature must be above 62-75 degC or 145-167 degF to kill the bacteria and parasites.

For siphon, if you don't want to melt them, use concentrated bleach.
I will put the siphon in a tall bucket where I can soak the whole siphon in the bucket with high concentration of bleach and water.
The part where the siphon will go into the tank need to be soaked in the bleach.
I will suck the bleach + water so that the inside part of the siphon is also filled with bleach.
Let it soak for a 20-30mins or longer. Then rinse a few times and let it dry for a few days.

Note: Use the bleach in well ventilated area as the fume is bad for health especially when cleaning the tank. If you can do it outside your house in an open space will be good.
Also, wear gloves.
Also, our household bleach tend to be sticky. If you can find another type of bleach that is less sticky will be good. Colin knows this very well.


Some info here from the internets:

Tapeworm infection - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org

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Inactivation of parasite transmission stages: Efficacy of treatments on food of animal origin

One third of parasitic outbreaks with known source in the US are attributable to food of animal origin (FoAO). Among 24 foodborne parasites ranked by …

www.sciencedirect.com

https://fri.wisc.edu/files/Briefs_File/parasites.pdf

https://www.nrhtx.com/DocumentCenter/View/5047/Parasite-Destruction-Explained?bidId=#:~:text=These%20parasites%20are%20usually%20killed,time%20guaranteed%20to%20kill%20parasites

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Parasites

Introduction All living organisms, including fish, can have parasites. They are as common in fish as insects are in fruits and vegetables. There are two types of parasites that can infect people through food or water: parasitic worms and protozoa.Read More Parasites

www.seafoodhealthfacts.org

 

[Circus]

As far as the difference in types of vinegar, you would probably have to look at the concentration? I get mine at the dollar store out here. It is just less dilute version of the regular.

 

[utahfish]

Gamma radiation. No.. wait... that's for hospitals......

Hulk fish could be cool!

 

[Salty&Onion]

Vinegar has a PH of 2.5 its acidity is what makes it such a good cleaner.

Depends on what percentage it is and some vinegar is toxic I believe..

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Depends on what percentage it is and some vinegar is toxic I believe..

Toxic? If it was added to the water I think it would be bad, but vinegar is used in a lot of different cleaning because it evaporates when dried.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Toxic? If it was added to the water I think it would be bad, but vinegar is used in a lot of different cleaning because it evaporates when dried.

No, I mean like for humans or something. I heard someting like that and it confuses me, just like everything else lol

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@Byron , @seangee
Carrying on with my anti-worm crusade, I was wondering what to do with the small bits of driftwood I was waterlogging in the quarantine tank with guppies before I saw worm signs. Didn't want to throw it away. I decided to try scrubbing them with salt. I figure salt is both drying and abrasive, so surely might help break apart or remove worm eggs. Then rinsed well and poured boiling water all over it. Allowing it to dry out too before use. That'll probably be fine, right? Have heard of people salt dipping things to sterilise.

I don't expect you to confirm that that will 100% work of course, it'll be my choice to risk using it, and it sounds like even bleach isn't 100% guaranteed to kill all worm eggs. I'm just tying to stack the odds in my favour without turning things toxic, and wondered if you would trust the wood after doing that.

 

[Byron]

@Byron , @seangee
Carrying on with my anti-worm crusade, I was wondering what to do with the small bits of driftwood I was waterlogging in the quarantine tank with guppies before I saw worm signs. Didn't want to throw it away. I decided to try scrubbing them with salt. I figure salt is both drying and abrasive, so surely might help break apart or remove worm eggs. Then rinsed well and poured boiling water all over it. Allowing it to dry out too before use. That'll probably be fine, right? Have heard of people salt dipping things to sterilise.

I don't expect you to confirm that that will 100% work of course, it'll be my choice to risk using it, and it sounds like even bleach isn't 100% guaranteed to kill all worm eggs. I'm just tying to stack the odds in my favour without turning things toxic, and wondered if you would trust the wood after doing that.

The issue with wood is that it readily absorbs liquids and any chemical in the liquid. These chemicals can leech out for weeks and months later. There is absolutely no way to remove them other than by leaving the wood in water knowing they will probably leech out over time...depending. Complete drying out might also work.

As for parasitic critters, eggs, etc...I am not a microbiologist so I cannot say which substance might kill "x" or whatever. If the wood was/is in a tank being treated, that may be all you can do. But there are no guarantees.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Worms inside the fish? Intestinal worms? Are fish eating normally?
Bloating?
In the UK look for eSHa ndx and gdex, I have used both of them and both will kill all worms inside the fish and eggs.
After the treatment it is always reccomended to use an antibiotic like eSHa 2000.
All three of them are well tolerated by fish, plants, filters and shrimps.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The issue with wood is that it readily absorbs liquids and any chemical in the liquid. These chemicals can leech out for weeks and months later. There is absolutely no way to remove them other than by leaving the wood in water knowing they will probably leech out over time...depending. Complete drying out might also work.

As for parasitic critters, eggs, etc...I am not a microbiologist so I cannot say which substance might kill "x" or whatever. If the wood was/is in a tank being treated, that may be all you can do. But there are no guarantees.

Thanks @Byron, I do have to accept that there will be no guarantees. The wood was in a tank being treated with ndx, but isn't anymore, so I thought I'd try the salt scrub/boiling water/drying out thing. There are some nice pieces, so I don't want to go mad and throw it away. I doubt many people clean as much when dealing with worms, and are usually fine, so going to try to calm down Thank you again for all your help!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Worms inside the fish? Intestinal worms? Are fish eating normally?
Bloating?
In the UK look for eSHa ndx and gdex, I have used both of them and both will kill all worms inside the fish and eggs.
After the treatment it is always reccomended to use an antibiotic like eSHa 2000.
All three of them are well tolerated by fish, plants, filters and shrimps.

Yep, thank you, they're still eating well. They've had the first round of ndx, now being treated with gdex and 2000 at the same time since those two can be used concurrently. Will have to repeat treatments, but fingers crossed these three will deal with whatever is plaguing them.

 

[Desperado070]

Nah, just go to your local store, you got vinegar for food and for cleaning.

Depends on what percentage it is and some vinegar is toxic I believe..

Vinegar is an alcoholic liquid that has been allowed to ferment and sour. The basic component of vinegar (including apple cider vinegar) is diluted acetic acid, which is a toxic waste product in the human body.

So no.

only if...

Toxic? If it was added to the water I think it would be bad.

 

[Colin_T]

just wash the tank out with warm soapy water a couple of times and then rinse well. that will get rid of any worm eggs and most parasites 9assuming there is any).

or you can use straight household bleach. slosh it around the tank, wait 5 minutes then rinse out well.

white vinegar can be left in contact with silicon for hours and won't affect it, but will kill most things.

70% alcohol will kill everything too and you can wipe a heap of alcohol on the inside of the tank. leave it to dry then wash with soapy water and rinse well.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Yep, thank you, they're still eating well. They've had the first round of ndx, now being treated with gdex and 2000 at the same time since those two can be used concurrently. Will have to repeat treatments, but fingers crossed these three will deal with whatever is plaguing them.

I'm rooting for you and your fishies! <3

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

just wash the tank out with warm soapy water a couple of times and then rinse well. that will get rid of any worm eggs and most parasites 9assuming there is any).

or you can use straight household bleach. slosh it around the tank, wait 5 minutes then rinse out well.

white vinegar can be left in contact with silicon for hours and won't affect it, but will kill most things.

70% alcohol will kill everything too and you can wipe a heap of alcohol on the inside of the tank. leave it to dry then wash with soapy water and rinse well.

Awesome, thank you! Welcome back, you've been missed this week! You must have had so many notifications with people tagging you when you got back
I've already used diluted bleach on the tank that held fish with worms, just a diluted mix washed over the tank with a sponge, left it for two minutes, then rinsed really thoroughly with a hosepipe. Now letting it completely dry out, and I can't smell bleach, but might rinse it again to be extra sure after it's dried.

Do you think I should do anything extra with filters once treatment has finished? Have a canister and a sponge filter on the tank, but I'm thinking that after the full courses of ndx, gdex and 2000, even if any eggs or worms get into the filters, they should be killed by the treatments, right? Obviously I'll be rinsing the filter media between treatments, and possibly running carbon to remove meds.