Toxic Tank?

[jtipton]

I recently bought a used 55 gallon SW tank. It had been dosed with an unknown ich medication. At first it didn't bother me, since I wasn't going to use it for coral. Then I started to look at some possible medications that could have been used. The one that caught my eye was Malachite Green. The silicone seams on the tank are stained a shade of blue, which is typical for this medication. It is also bad for humans, and is not only a cancer causing agent, but can alter your DNA! I have never worked with Malachite Green, and am not sure why anyone would take these risks.

Is this tank dangerous?! Should I just get a NEW 55 gallon tank? Any sources would also be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Tolak]

Meth blue also stains silicone & such. In any case run some carbon for a few days, this will remove any meds that may leech out, which would be very minimal in any case.

Greater caution needs to be used with some meds, and some folks have less regard for their own personal health & safety than others.

 

[jourdy288]

I would recomend sealing it with silicone glue.

 

[pirate monkey]

I would like to add that I have used Protozin to treat ich in my tanks and that has also stained some ornaments and air lines blue. I'm not sure if it contains meth blu or not.

HTH

 

[freddythefish]

Protozin contains malchite green

Which brings me on to...I USED THIS THE OTHER DAY AND GOT IT ON MY HAND...what studies have been done to show it can cause cancer because they are not that bothered on the MSDS sheets for anything like that!

 

[Colin_T]

Malachite green doesn't turn the silicon blue. Methylene blue does that.
Malachite is carcinogenic and you should try to avoid getting it on your skin. However, most aquarium medications also contain formalin (formaldehyde) and this is toxic too. As long as you don't get it on your skin all the time, and you wash your hands with soapy water afterwards, you are unlikely to suffer any real problems. It is still a good idea to avoid getting it on you, but you aren't going to die if it touches you once or twice. I mean it doesn't kill fish unless it is overdosed and many fishes that have been treated with the drug can still breed and produce high quality, fertile offspring. Further to that you get it on your skin when you do water changes on a tank after it has been treated. You stick your hand/arm in the tank to start draining water and the residual medication gets on your skin that way.

The staining in the silicon is not going to be a problem. Any residual chemical contamination that might leach out will be minute and get diluted by the water in the tank. And each time you do a water change you will dilute it further. And unless the silicon is coming away from the glass there probably won’t be any leaching from the drug anyway.

All in all you shouldn't have any problem. If you are concerned then fill the tank up with freshwater and leave it for a day. Then drain it out and refill it. And as mentioned by Tolak, adding some carbon to a filter will also help to remove any traces that might get in the water.