using bleach to disinfect tank.

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batang_mcdo

Polypterus
MFK Member
Apr 24, 2006
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Manila
Hi,

i just poured about 200 ml of chlorine bleach into my 75 gallon tank full of water. will the bleach be enough to disinfect the tank?how long should i keep th ewater before changing it?

thanks.
 
why are you trying to disinfect your tank? The bleach that you poured in you tank may kill off your tanks good bacteria thus forcing you to cycle the tank again.
 
jam05pr;510838; said:
why are you trying to disinfect your tank? The bleach that you poured in you tank may kill off your tanks good bacteria thus forcing you to cycle the tank again.
Click to expand...

I dont think there are fish in the tank, the cycle is already broken & I am guessing that batang_mcdo wants to start over with this tank anyway...

I don't know id its enough or not, not sure if you haad anyhing specific in the tanks that was an issue, or if you are doing a general clean-up before setting up an old/used tank.

I have heard 1 teaspoon per 10 gals for 24 hours as a good general solution. I have also heard of people using a 10 percent solution (7 gals in a 75g tanks :WHOA: )

I hope someone jumps on this with a better answer for you...

Quick conversion for US 200ml is about 6.75 Oz.

** sorry you beat me ***

As far as what to do later... Drain, rinse, rinse, rinse, fill, & add extra dechlor.. start cycling the tank fishless, rather than live. when you pass the ammonia spike in the cycle then the chlorine is also gone, as the bateria will not start to grow at any decent rate until the chlorine is removed.
 
10% would be on the high end. You would be better off going with a 2% solution. Make sure to rinse your tank thouroughly when done. When adding the new water to your make sure you triple the dose of the anti-chlor.
 
thanks!!
its a spare tank now. :0 will be a while before i put something in :)
don't have problem with cycling tank. since i have some other tanks where i can get the used filter media to seed bacteria :)

just want to make sure whatever killed my fish will be gone when i need to use this tank again :)
 
If you rinse with vinegar, the bleach will be neutralized and the tank will be safe. I learned this trick from a friend from Germany who is an amazing discus breeder. I have been doing it for over 20 years and NEVER lost 1 fish. Hope this helps.
Mike
 
What about using Baking soda; (sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate) to dechlorinate?

NaHCO3,
Chlorine = Cl

Products of reaction
Salt = NaCl
Water = H2O
Carbon-Dioxide = CO2

I do this in my dishwasher, run with bleach to clean & disinfect, then run with baking soda to remove the chlorine.

I have never done it with a tank, can anyone think of a reason not to?

I hear baling soda is sometimes use as am anesthetic for fish.
Baking soda is a pH buffer I believe. I know people use it in SW tanks
 
What i would do is let the bleach+water sit in the tank for a day or two, and then empty the tank and refill with fresh water, let it sit for a day, empty again and refill with water and sit for another day, repeat about 3-4 times. that's worked for me perfectly well.
 
I would seem that a high concentration of Bleach would be hard on the silicon seals. Has anyone had a tank fail after the addition of bleach?
 
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