Starting From Scratch

[tgo]

well, I now have a pretty much empty tank and I want to disinfect it really good before I restock it a month or two down the road. I have a few questions before I start.

I was thinking of using chlorine bleach, since its strong but also can be taken out with de-chlorinator. Would it be ok to:


-drain tank and take out the gravel and everything,
-clean out the filter and toss media
-rinse it out and scrub the surfaces of tank and glass lid
-fill it up with 10% chlorine bleach and water solution,
-turn on the filter and let the tank for a day or two
-then drain and rinse really well
-then let dry for a week or two
-fill it up and double-up on the dechlor?

Sound good?

I wasn't sure you can run filters in bleach and water, I have a Eheim aquaball and Aquaclear 30. I can't think of a better way to make sure the filters gets a thorough cleaning.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

 

[onebto]

Be honest I would not use any chemicals what so ever

You have to consider that yes some chemicals kill germs and other nastys however in the end you need to be 100% sure that you have removed absolutely every particle of the chemicals before starting the tank up.

Instead IMO the best way is to just use lots of water and plenty of good old elbow grease

 

[Tolak]

You could do that if you don't mind spending the money on electricity. Wiping the tank down with a bleach solution then rinsing is adequate, same with the filters. For smaller filter components toss them in a bucket of bleach solution, you can just pour some in the filter bodies & such.

Make sure to use cheap bleach, the type with no soap or fragrance added.

 

[OldMan47]

A 10% bleach solution is way too strong for simply disinfecting the tank and filters. I believe the recommended mix is about 20 parts water to 1 part bleach.

 

[tgo]

Well, I finally did it. I decided to wipe the equipment and tank down, and soak a little bit (a couple minutes). I let it air dry. One more question: How can I be sure that I get rid of all the bleach residue, is it enough to double-up on dechlor once it is filled agin?

 

[OldMan47]

Fill and drain a couple of times to dilute any remaining residue and then just use some dechlorinator on the first fill after.