Sanitizing Aquarium Supplies W/o Hot Water

[Nicolas]

I am getting a bunch of new supplies in anticipation of setting up my new 55 gallon aquarium. I was wondering if there are any ways to sanitize gravel and ornaments previously used in my other aquariums without hot water? Like I mentioned this tank is at my dad's business and I am at his mercy with this one. I was thinking of aquarium salt.

 

[angel-al]

I think if ornaments and rocks etc have been left out to dry, they should be safe anyway as long as they are clean and free of dust. I reckon a soak in cold water should do it.

 

[smmetz]

Some people use a diluted bleach solution to sanitize. After repeated rinsing, they then add about 4-5x the recommended dose of chemicals to de-chlorinate the tank when it is filled. The de-chlorinator should neutralize an small amount left.

I just found a thread with some info about using bleach:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/forum/23...leach-Is-Gone-/

specifically, this post might be useful:
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.