Cleaning gravel that has been outside

[Rosemead626]

Hey guys I have a 5 gallon bucket full of gravel I used to use in my tanks.the thing is that it has been left outside with no cover for about a year give or take.j was wondering if I can rinse it or boil it to clean it and use it or would it be better to just toss the gravel and get new ones? Thanks guys

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[Heyguy74]

If you want to use. Just soak it in some water with some bleach in it overnight. That will kill anything bad in the gravel. I usually run a power head in the bucket. Rinse the gravel really well and use a dechlorinator and the gravel will be ready to use.

 

[burbon44s]

U could boil it.
I wouldn't use bleach.
Add lots of salt. Even if it's water softer salt.

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[Heyguy74]

Bleach is perfectly fine as a disinfectant for fish tanks. I've used it for 30+ years with no problems.

 

[wrslrcichlid]

The key to using bleach is giving it time to evaporate off or using dechlorinator. As long as you do this it is perfectly fine.

 

[burbon44s]

Always thought gravel was too porous to use bleach on

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[houie925]

If it was wet I'd bleach and rinse. If it was dry I'd just rinse a few times. Gravel's cheap though so if it worries you just get new gravel.


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[Heyguy74]

Always thought gravel was too porous to use bleach on

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Bleach begins to break down in water. Its very unstable. That's what our water is treated with if its not chloramines. I grabbed this from the web. When dissolved in water it will slowly decompose, releasing chlorine, oxygen and sodium and hydroxide ions.
4 NaClO + 2 H[SUB]2[/SUB]O → 4 Na[SUP]+[/SUP] + 4 OH[SUP]−[/SUP] + 2 Cl[SUB]2[/SUB] + O[SUB]2[/SUB]

 

[burbon44s]

But isn't it a little harsh and risky to use with fish, if there's other means to cleaning?


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[Heyguy74]

But isn't it a little harsh and risky to use with fish, if there's other means to cleaning?


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Not at all. As long as you rinse well and use a dechlorinator. One thing I like about using bleach is you can smell it easily. We tend to be sensitive to the smell of bleach. (please don't test this and stick your nose into a bottle of bleach and smell, it will be very powerful and you'll end up on the floor.) If you can smell it you need to rinse more. Plus after a few days is practically gone anyway. Bleach is one of the best disinfectants out there.

The other methods will also work. It really what you feel comfortable with. Salt doesn't dissipate. You need to rinse very well in order to remove it