Any Reason To Keep An Empty Tank Full Of Water?

[Underwurlde]

Mute point. You make DAMN sure there is no residue left in!!!

BTW I use Potassium Permanganate to sterilized tanks & new plants etc. Kills bugs & sodding snails...

Andy

 

[Inchworm]

what would happen if there were bleach residue left on the tank?

If you use chlorine bleach (like Clorox) it would do a good job of killing any harmful bacteria, but if any is left in the tank, it would also kill beneficial bacteria. That's why chlorine is added to the public water supply. Campers sometimes take the bleach to add to water when treking to places where they don't trust the water source they will be drinking.

I use it to clean nets, filters, etc., but would not recommend using it to clean a tank or gravel. Unless you know there's something seriously wrong with the tank, a wash with water and salt will almost always be all that's necessary.

 

[fifefish]

whatever happened to water and a hard scrubbing?

 

[Truck]

whatever happened to water and a hard scrubbing?

my point exactly

 

[Underwurlde]

...because you're not guaranteed to get any nasties out perhaps?

 

[Inchworm]

whatever happened to water and a hard scrubbing?

It works for me. I use table salt as a mild abrasive to get any stuck on bits off. It rinses away easily, and if any small residue is left, it won't bother the fish or beneficial bacteria.

 

[Truck]

...because you're not guaranteed to get any nasties out perhaps?

valid point, but unless you had a columnaris out break i dont see the need for bleach or ammonia tbh

 

[loraxchick]

what would happen if there were bleach residue left on the tank?

if it dries completely, there should be no residue...commercial bleach like clorox does not contain detergents as the bleach itself is enough to do the job (ie shouldnt have soaps or surfactants in it)...just steer clear of the ones that have "lemony scent" or some such nonsense added...if you were worried about "residue" just super dechlor when you fill it back up....ethyl alcohol also kills everything. just let it dry out once youre done.

its no different when sterilizing a tank as then sterilizing lab equipment. and if you say-yes it is becasue fish will live in there ,well micro labs grow things in their sterilized stuff...although autoclaves are usually used for this, but bleach and alcohol are also very commonly used.
cheers

 

[petertr]

One easy way to remove all bleach - Once you think you've got it all out, fill the tank with cold water, leave for a couple of hours, them empty again.

The small amount remaining has just been diluted to the point where its going to do no harm whatsoever.



While there's no obvious need to use bleach, why not give the tank that extra cleanup while you have the chance?

 

[Tolak]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=119809&hl=

Still waiting for an answer on this one. Chlorine evaporates, and is easily dealt with using the cheapest dechlorinator available. Cheap bleach is a common fishroom consumable where I come from. A few drops in your bbs hatchery does wonders, gasses out in less than 24 hours, while keeping bacteria at bay. If this affected the fish in any manner you would certainly see it in fry fed the bbs.

Hatching tanks get a 1 part bleach to 19 parts water clean all the time, this means around weekly. Guaranteed I don't measure this, and in most cases it is probably stronger. Larger tanks that will house fish coming in get this as well, common quar preparation.

Look into decapsulating bbs, see what is used. Bleach used properly is not a problem.