i just rinse mine in hot water and if they are not new i soak them for a few days,if they are new i just rinse and put them in,been doing it for years and never had a problem. except when my wife discovered some of her pots missing
Lol, I don't recommend this but I got a used one (with dirt in it) and just rinsed it with room temp. water and placed it with my blue rams, who are pretty fragile. And it's been about three weeks now with no problems. So I'd say get a new one, rinse, and you should be A-OK!