# How to Disinfect (Sanitize) your aquarium/fish-tank.



## Hopelessaddict101

Whilst looking online, I found an article about how to Sanitize your aquarium.
I thought it might be good to share for others who do not know how to, either:

_Bleach is one of the safest and most effective methods for sanitizing an aquarium before the initial set-up. Many people are afraid to use bleach because they are afraid of its potency but actually it is perfectly safe if used correctly. We use bleach for sanitization because it is one of the most successful chemicals we have for disinfecting. It is commonly used in U.S. hospitals and is recommended by the Center for Disease Control. Bleach or Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), is also safe for the environment. It breaks down very quickly, leaving mostly salt and water behind. Because it is a strong disinfectant that breaks down into harmless byproducts rapidly, it can be used to sanitize baby and pet toys, aquariums and yes it is even used to sanitize our water supply._


When buying bleach for aquarium cleaning, *only* use regular bleach like Chlorox Regular Bleach or an equivalent. Do not use bleach mixed with detergent. Detergents leave dangerous residue that can be fatal to aquarium fish.
 
Using a typical household bleach (which is already about 5% bleach) mix 9 parts water with 1 part regular bottled bleach. I like to store it short term in a spray bottle purchased at my local hardware store. Note that bleach does break down fairly quickly so only make small quantities at a time. Never store bleach in a bottled previously used with other chemicals.
 
Wipe any debris from the aquarium with warm water and a paper towel.
 
Spray all surfaces of the aquarium with the 10% solution you have just created. I like to do this in my bathtub to contain the overspray. Sanitizing outdoors is also a good option.
 
Let the aquarium sit for *10-15 minutes*. Bleach is a corrosive chemical and can cause damage to your aquarium if left too long. Do not allow it to sit for longer than 15 minutes.
 
Rinse thoroughly. When you are done rinsing, rinse again for good measure.
 
Allow the aquarium to air dry completely. This will help to insure that the bleach solution has broken down into harmless byproducts.
 
Once you set up your aquarium, fill the tank with water and dose with a good aquarium water dechlorinator.
 
*Aquarium gravel, decorations, filters, heaters, etc. can also be bleached using the same concentration of water to bleach. You can either spray them or soak them in a bowl depending on what you are cleaning. Just be sure to rinse very well and allow everything to air dry completely before putting back in the aquarium. Note that metal rusts quickly when exposed to bleach. As mentioned earlier, never allow bleach to sit on the item for more than 10 – 15 minutes.*

*IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:*
_Bleach can be very dangerous if inhaled or ingested. It can cause moderate to severe damage if it comes in contact with the eyes or skin. It can also cause discoloration or corrosion of some materials. Please view the International Chemical Safety Card before using bleach._

Link for International Chemical Safety Card: http://www.ilo.org/safework/lang--en/index.htm

- Hopelessaddict101


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## Sena Hansler

If you are like me and are terribly allergic to it, or even just still afraid of using bleach pure white vinegar works as well.


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## Hopelessaddict101

Thanks for that, Sena! 

I found this online whilst looking at articles about doing sanatization and figured since we don't have something like this here on bettafish.com I misawell put something up and hope it gets stickied!


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## Sena Hansler

I agree it should be stickied


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## Hopelessaddict101

Thanks! 

It's the first time I've had to sanitize a tank and I couldn't find anything on here so when I found this I thought... lets put it up!  Surely others will need it in the future!


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## Gryphon

There are a couple of threads floating around on the best way to clean a tank, but not as comprehensive as this one.

Personally, I'm not a fan of using Bleach (it's just nasty stuff!) and strongly recommend white vinegar. Baking soda can also be used as a scrub if a deep clean is needed.


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## MattsBettas

I know that it's safe, but it still makes me nervous, so what I do instead is cover the gravel in vinegar, let it soak for 15 minutes, wipe the sides, then pour boiling water in to be safe. Works like a charm and all natural.


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## Hopelessaddict101

I hope it gets stickied. 

And bleach can make you pretty anxious using it. But if you do it the correct way, in a well ventilated place, and rinse like crazy before using it, it's the most effective way.


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## Elsewhere

This is awesome, I need this information for this weekend, my aunt has just asked me to help he clean out her old fish tank! Thank you so much, I totally agree that this should be stickied!


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## Hopelessaddict101

I'm glad I could help, then!


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## Kim

Thank you for the post! Bleach is truly the ONLY product I would ever use to disinfect a fish tank; personally, if a hospital wouldn't use a certain product to disinfect equipment, then it is not effective enough to properly disinfect a tank (especially since water is such a good growth medium for bacteria!). It seems that there are many more problems associated with inadequate cleaning of tanks (especially after being taken down due to illness) than with bleach residue - it evaporates after all! Also, although vinegar is a commonly used alternative to bleach, it is really only a mild acid at best and is quite ineffective at killing bacteria.


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## MSG

Strange to read that article because the entire thing is common knowledge to me. I wouldn't have bothered to take the time to type it up.

What I do with "sanitizing" is based off of HACCP protocol. But most of the chemicals used in HACCP are not fish safe, that's why I just recommended bleach, because it's the most cost effective & one of the quickest methods 

The type of vinegar that's better for sanitizing is a 20% solution, but it's very hard to locate. 10% vinegar is what you'll find in most retail outlets.

Keep in mind when you "borrow" someone's document, you should include a direct link to CREDIT the person who wrote it. 

Otherwise it's plagiarism. 


Moral of the story.....
Give credit to the writer.


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## Hopelessaddict101

Kim said:


> Thank you for the post! Bleach is truly the ONLY product I would ever use to disinfect a fish tank; personally, if a hospital wouldn't use a certain product to disinfect equipment, then it is not effective enough to properly disinfect a tank (especially since water is such a good growth medium for bacteria!). It seems that there are many more problems associated with inadequate cleaning of tanks (especially after being taken down due to illness) than with bleach residue - it evaporates after all! Also, although vinegar is a commonly used alternative to bleach, it is really only a mild acid at best and is quite ineffective at killing bacteria.


It is quite alright. Not everyone knows how to use it, and I thought that this article would be pretty helpful 



MSG said:


> Strange to read that article because the entire thing is common knowledge to me. I wouldn't have bothered to take the time to type it up.
> 
> What I do with "sanitizing" is based off of HACCP protocol. But most of the chemicals used in HACCP are not fish safe, that's why I just recommended bleach, because it's the most cost effective & one of the quickest methods
> 
> The type of vinegar that's better for sanitizing is a 20% solution, but it's very hard to locate. 10% vinegar is what you'll find in most retail outlets.
> 
> Keep in mind when you "borrow" someone's document, you should include a direct link to CREDIT the person who wrote it.
> 
> Otherwise it's plagiarism.
> 
> 
> Moral of the story.....
> Give credit to the writer.


It may be common knowledge to _you,_ but not everybody else. That is why I took the time to type it up. It's not plagiarism, as it didn't have copyright on it.

But, nonetheless, I thought I had no. Oh, well, easy mistake. :roll:

Credit: http://nippyfish.net/2009/03/30/how-to-disinfect-sanitize-your-aquarium-with-bleach/


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## Sena Hansler

I use a 50/50 for vinegar. 50% vinegar, mixed in with 50% hot hot water. Never done me wrong!


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## Bettalover89139

Thank you for posting this as I have to sanitize a tank my sick fish was in. He has passed and I would like to use the tank for another fish.


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## Jack Lantern

Bleach worked great for me. Let it sit overnight, re-filled with freshwater, let that sit overnight as a rinser.


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## sunlight

Bleach is very useful but people are scared to use it because its very strong and kills everything (hence its use for sterility).


First you must know that there are lots of different bleaches out there. You must not use bleach with additives (many come mixed with detergent). So, find a bleach like Clorox Regular.

Next, the aquarium pieces to be disinfected should be rinsed with warm water to remove the particles and debris that builds with use in an aquarium.

You can disinfect the aquarium itself and hard pieces like glass thermometers, fish nets, certain gravel (though not if its porous), and hard plastic like the filter box (not the filter cartridge obviously).

Avoid heaters because people tend to submerge them and it will become very hard to remove the bleach from inside. You don't want bleach sitting inside there either as it may leach into aquarium water later or harm the heater itself.

You should make a 10% solution. This means 1 part bleach and 9 parts water to make a 10% solution. You can then dip the pieces and let them sit in the sink, bathtub, or on the counter for no longer than 10 minutes. Then rinse with warm water thoroughly. The equipment must air dry completely before entering an aquarium. This allows for the bleach to dissolve away and evaporate into its basic properties (its mainly just salt). Then rinse again with cold water (for good measure) before using in the aquarium again.

As an example example, I have a measuring cup with graduations marked in 1 ml increments. I use 10ml of bleach and 90ml of water. That's 1 part bleach in every 10 parts total (water + bleach). This creates a 10% Solution of bleach.

Also serenebeauty i know you have a snail. Make sure if you ever bring new snail or put anything live , even plants always quarintine it first. Snail may be doing good but it can be sick and contaminate the tank. I juat read similar post snail is fine but betta died. 
Also even when you buy new betta try to quarantine him. You can have him in the hospital tank or in his main tank without gravel and plants for a few weeks just to make sure he is not sick and you not ending up disinfecting everything again.


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## ANHEL123

I also used the bleach before.
I found this instructions 
go to wal-mart and get either 70% or 91% (I like the higher concentration) Rubbing Alcohol. Alcohol will sterilize everything including Mycobacteria if there's a threat of that. There's nothing else that will kill Myco's besides UV ray's but that usually takes longer. So Alcohol kills everything and will be your best friend in cleaning! i also find it's just easier to use since you can spray it directly on things where in bleach you have to mix with water and all and it's just a pain.

I use a spray bottle, make sure you label it as Alcohol, wouldn't want anyone getting into it that they shouldn't! And then spray everything, net's, cups, tanks, heater's, gravel too if you want, plants, the entire thing. Everything he's come in contact with, then rinse with hot tap water, let dry and you're good to go 

Both ways are good .


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## BettasRSweeties

I am a fan of using bleach and am glad you (Hopelessaddict101) posted this info. I use it all the time when disinfecting is a necessary means. HELPFULL HINT: After using bleach/warm water solution to clean items, and rinsing very well. You can refill aquarium with clean warm water, and add a dechlorinator (API stress coat,Prime) and let it soak for awhile to be on the safe side or for peace of mind. For heaters,plants, fill a large bowl or bucket with clean, warm water and you're water conditioner(ones that remove chlorine)and use the same process. Hope this will help out some.


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## Echo1

*Disinfectant Advice*

Hi, please advise. I've got a second hand Jewel 350L Corner Tank which has a Jewel 3d aquarium background: http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/Pro...Light/Background-Cliff-Light-Cliff-light.html . It's been in the back yard for a few days. I also used washing up liquid on it. I would like your opinion on what the best method to disinfect my tank would be as the the background has red spots and algae stains on it. I've read on the internet about the different ways to do this. Some people talk about using vinegar and other say use bleach. I can't find the bleach that's being discussed in the UK is there any alternatives please. Thank You


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