Can I use bleach on my gravel?

southpaw

southpaw

Lefty
Jun 7, 2007
720
0
0
56
Tennessee
I bought 2 bags of pea gravel from Wal-Mart to use in my new 55g tank. I spent a few hours today rinsing it about 5-6lbs at a time in a bucket until water was clear..... I have it all in a large plastic storage container now and was wondering if it would be ok to add enough water to cover the gravel then add bleach in either a 10:1 or 20:1 ratio and let it sit for a few hours to kill off any bactreia that might be on it before I put it in my tank to start cycling it? I have read a few posts that talk about boiling the gravel but I really dont want to have to try and boil 50lbs worth of rock on the stove as it would be an all day job.

Will the bleach do the same thing? I will be rinsing it off a few more times and then put it back in the container with some water and a heavy dose of tank conditioner to take care of the chlorine that might be left on the gravel.

Or is there an easier way?
 
Since you have rinsed the gravel thoroughly, it should be fine to go into the tank as it is. I really don't think you'll have any problem with bacteria, parasites, or anything else. Those things cannot survive without some kind of host. Even if there were something, it would not survive your cycle. I would seriously advise against using bleach.

If you still decide to use bleach you have to be 100% absolutely sure you get rid of all of it before it goes in the tank. Otherwise, you can kill any beneficial bacteria that will develop during your cycle.
 
Thanks for the reply.... I was thinking along those lines too. I figure anything that might be in or on the rocks wouldnt survive the several weeks it would take to cycle my tank.
 
I would only worry about the gravel if the bag was open or had holes in it.

Many LFS keep the gravel bags on lower shelves due to the weight. The have a tnedency to get ripped by carts and people stepping on them to get to something higher. When my wife was managing a pet store, the had a pesticide company in twice a month to spray per health codes.

They always sprayed around all counter/shelving bottoms....
 
This gravel isnt aquarium gravel it was in the garden section so it was really dirty....That is why I rinsed it 5 or 6 times to get it clean.I gave like $6-7 for the 2 bags compared to spending $20+ for aquarium gravel. I havent seen any signs of any kind of shells or anything in it so figured for the price it might be worth rinsing a few times to save some $$$
 
Sounds good, the rinsing should be fine.
 
Rinsing with hot or warm water will help to clean the gravel if it is really dirty. If you are really concerned about bacteria you could even rinse the gravel in salt water. This is one time when high ammonia levels during cycling could be beneficial to help sterilize the gravel. You should have no trouble with it after your tank cycles. Your tank water changes should get rid of anything that might be left on the gravel.
 
Thanks for all the input guys.... I will give it one final rinse thru a strainer today and put it in and fill this thing up.
 
shoot us a pic...?
 
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