How Can You Know If The Bleach Is Gone?

[monica]

I just bleached my 2.5 gall. And I was wondering if there is a possible way to tell if the bleach is gone from your aquarium? I rinsed it and used paper towels to dry. I would let it sit in direct sunlight, except it has been cloudy for so many days, and it shows few signs of clearing up. AAANNND I have a fish waiting to go in there.
So is there a way to tell? Or any extra precautions to take?

 

[darrel69]

Im not sure, but i think with bleach you can tell if its still present or not by its smell. Can you smell it in your tank ?

 

[monica]

Nope. Not that I notice.

 

[backtotropical]

Smell is a good indication, however if you are unsure, fill your tank with water and use a double dose of dechlorinator which will neutralise the trace amounts of bleach left over.

 

[Tolak]

I can't remember the last time a week went by that I didn't clean a 2.5, 5, or 10 gallon tank with a bleach/water solution. Rinse well with tap water, if it hasn't completely dried use triple the amount of dechlorinator when filling. I use these for hatching tanks, so anything left that would be bad for fish would certainly affect the eggs & fry.

 

[SJ2K]

Stick a betta in, if it dies, the bleach is present

 

[backtotropical]

use a double dose of dechlorinator

use triple the amount of dechlorinator

Double, Triple, almost singing from the same sheet!

 

[monica]

So extra dechlorinator is the key? Does this eliminate bleach?

 

[SJ2K]

Bleach contains chlorine i believe? So dechlorinating it would certainly help

 

[backtotropical]

As SJ2K says, bleach contains chlorine and so dechlorinator will detoxify it, but it is certainly not a replacement for rinsing thoroughly and then rinsing thoroughly again.

Bleach contains huge amounts of chlorine compared to the tap water which our dechlorinators are made for, so rinsing thoroughly before trusting the dechlorinator is essential.

 

[monica]

Makes sense. All I was thinking while washing was 'boy does this smell like a public pool'. Will the extra de-chlorinator effect the fish?

 

[backtotropical]

No they will be fine. You can use up to around 5x doseage with no risk, maybe more but i've never tried.

 

[Tolak]

That amount of extra dechlorinator won't affect the fish. Seachem, the manufacturers of Prime, state that up to 5 times the normal dose can be used safely.

 

[monica]

Thanks everyone. Now I am off to de-chlorinate and be happy!