Think I Have Ruined A Good Tank

[justinj]

hi guys i have just been given a juwel 350 corner tank ,it had not been used since an elderly gentleman had died ,there were no fish in there no filters or anything apart from 6 inches of stinking putrifying green water that smelled like toxic waste , so i brought it home and set about cleaning it out the back but i could not get rid of the smell , so as it cost me nothing i thought i would spray bleach in there leave it overnight then give it another really good clean the following day and it worked i am really happy with the results ,i continued to clean with fresh water to rid all of the bleach out of there with the hose pipe in there for hours ,now it is in the house on the stand ready to start putting gravel and the rest of the stuff in there ,but everytime i take the lid off it smells now of bleach is this safe ,i feel as i have washed it out with fairy liquid after the bleach and it looks really nice but still that smell of bleach is in it , is this tank ruined sorry to babble on a bit i just wanted to explain as much as i could 

 

[Baccus]

It may depend on what type of bleach you used and what concentration also does the tank have rubber seals that bleach could have penetrated and that is what is still giving off the bleach smell?
You could try filling the tank put in a filter and run activated carbon and Seachem Purigen to hopefully nutralise any remaining nasty chemicals in the tank.

Something else I found on the inernet.
Bleach Safety
There are a couple of critical rules to be aware of when using bleach. Follow them, and you don't have to worry about harming yourself or your fish.•Don't mix bleach with any other chemicals. That includes soap, aquarium chemicals, or other cleaning products. Use only bleach and plain water, period.
•Don't use bleach in concentrations higher than ten percent.
•Don't soak anything in bleach for longer than fifteen minutes.

 

[simplyfish]

Hi there, you want to try and wash as much of the bleach off as possible, then allow it to dry out completely. Leaving the lid off over night should be fine. I'd then give it another rinse to be sure.
 
A little bit of patience should be all you need.

 

[fluttermoth]

If you used a chlorine bleach, you can neutralise traces of that with a double dose of dechlorinator.

 

[Ch4rlie]

If you used a chlorine bleach, you can neutralise traces of that with a double dose of dechlorinator.

 
This is a good suggestion.
 
Also filling the tank and putting in active carbon in a filter and leaving for some time will help that little bit more perhaps, as fluttermoth advised already.
 
Then leaving tank to dry completely for a day to two then assess situation from there.

 

[daizeUK]

I agree, dechlorinator should neutralise the bleach.
 
It's best to use bleach without any perfumes or additives.  I don't think using Fairy Liquid was a good idea.  You don't want any detergents or surfactants in the tank.  I would rinse it over and over to get rid of that.

 

[baker360360]

You've got a really good tank for free, well done hope it works out

 

[justinj]

guys thanks very much for the above advise ,much appreciated 

 

[Akasha72]

it's a nice looking tank. I'm afraid I can't help re the bleach as I've never used it but I'm reading and learning something new myself. 
 
Good luck with it and I'll look forward to seeing it up and running in the future

 

[fluttermoth]

In future, and for anyone else; in general you're better of using natural products to clean tanks that are much more easily rinsed away, without leaving any possibly dangerous residues.

Salt, very hot water, lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda will clean most things

 

[Akasha72]

I've always stuck with just hot water and 'elbow grease' ... I'd never of thought of Bicarb though, or lemon juice. I'll have to try and remember that fluttermoth - thanks

 

[attibones]

Mix up a white vinegar and water solution. It should remove the bleach smell and is really good and safe for cleaning. Try one part vinegar to around ten parts water. When you've rinsed the tank with the solution, drain it and rinse it a few times with warm to hot water. If it still smells like vinegar, you're fine. It's not toxic. Okay, I mean, you don't want your fish swimming in vinegar, but the lingering smell is not going to hurt them.

 

[fluttermoth]

Mix up a white vinegar and water solution. It should remove the bleach smell and is really good and safe for cleaning. Try one part vinegar to around ten parts water. When you've rinsed the tank with the solution, drain it and rinse it a few times with warm to hot water. If it still smells like vinegar, you're fine. It's not toxic. Okay, I mean, you don't want your fish swimming in vinegar, but the lingering smell is not going to hurt them.

Good thought; should have had vinegar on my list of good cleaners too, completely forgot about it

 

[BiggTexx]

Mix up a white vinegar and water solution.

Took my suggestion!  I use white vinegar for EVERYTHING involving my aquarium.  If it was me here, I would fill the tank with 1 gallon of white vinegar (what size tank? I may use 2 gallons of vinegar) and the rest water.  Let it soak for a few hours, use a NEW sponge to rub down the sides and bottom then rinse it and let it air dry.

 

[daizeUK]

Will any of those natural cleaners eradicate disease or kill algae as well as bleach does? I was actually intending to bleach one of my tanks soon so I'd be interested to hear if there are alternatives.