Cleaning Tank Decorations

[dc1377]

So, I have had some issues with my tank lately and I decided to take all of the decorations out of the tank and gravel vac underneath them. I decided to do this after an unexplained breakout of popeye and fin rot, maybe dropsy and we lost a molly last night.

Well, I took out the decorations and the smell was terrible - Like raw sewage. I have never had any problems with tank oder until I took out the decor. Just to give some background - We have been trying to get rid of unwanted snails that we got months ago when we brought home live plants from the lfs. We were using Coppersafe to kill them off. Anyway - Could the snails have died and decomposed under the decor and that was what we were smelling? I did not vacuum up any snails, but I am going to leave the decor out for a while and continue with daily water changes while we continue to treat with Maracyn two.

I know I saw a thread on here about cleaning decorations, but I cannot seem to find it. Could some one please tell me the proper way to clean these items. I know there are certain things (Like dishsoap) that I should not use. Also, after I clean and dry the decor thoroughly, is it ok to store on a shelf for a week or so before putting them back in the tank while I get the tank under control?

Thanks for the help!

 

[fluttermoth]

Plain hot water is best.

It does sound like the dead snails are causing your problems, it is very common for that to happen with snail killing solutions. In future, it's best to catch the snails with lettuce, cucumber or a slice of tamato; the snails will congregate on it to feed and you can take the whole lot out. Do make sure you're not over feeding the fish, as that is the cause of most snail population explosions. In a properly fed tank, snails don't over breed

Oh, and it's fine to leave the decorations out for a while; nearly all of your good bacteria live in the filter, not on the substrate or decor.

 

[dc1377]

I tried the lettuce trick - Didn't seem to work too well. We would have one or two small snails on the lettuce, but the bigger ones we would still have to pick out. We wouldn't see any snails in the tank for a couple of weeks, and then all of a sudden 4 or 5 of them.

I thought that there was something I could usee with hot water to clean the decorations? Also, will it be oaky to just use plain tap water as the chlorine should dissapte if I don't put the decor back in the tank for a week or so?

 

[laura120381]

+1 to fluttermoth regarding the snail problem and the smell!! i just use plain ho tap water to clean my decs and a BRAND NEW toothbrush, to be used only for this is a great wee tool for removing stubborn algae etc!

if you are worried about the chlorine etc (it will be fine but if you are still concerned) why not add your ornaments back into your tank when you do a water change? give them a quick rinse in old tank water before you dispose of it then put them back in the tank!

L