Cleaning Coral?!?! Bleach?!?!

[denise2854]

I just bought a tank last night and my mother in law gave me a bunch of white coral. she told me to bleach my tank and bleach the coral. I dont feel right about doing this task. I dont want to potentially harm any fish that go in my tank! How would I go about cleaning my coral!

Thanks!

 

[Hooked Newbie]

A bleach solution will work if you rinse copiuosly.

 

[cellodaisy]

A bleach solution will work if you rinse copiuosly.

x2

If it's chlorine bleach, you could also do a mega-dose of dechlorinator when you are done, just to be sure.

 

[denise2854]

thank you i think i could do that. im just really nervous about it

 

[Amphiprion]

I just bought a tank last night and my mother in law gave me a bunch of white coral. she told me to bleach my tank and bleach the coral. I dont feel right about doing this task. I dont want to potentially harm any fish that go in my tank! How would I go about cleaning my coral!

Thanks!

Do not, under any circumstances, bleach your tank with anything in it. If your tank is bare, empty, etc., then you can bleach it. Bleach will kill everything in the tank if it has inhabitants, live rock, live sand, etc. Again, only bare, completely empty tanks can be bleached. Just rinse it out well after bleaching it and allow it to dry.

When you bleach your coral, be sure to soak it in a dechlorinating solution afterward, since it tends to be very porous. The bleach will often remain in the interstices long after drying. An old customer of mine killed his entire tank that way.

 

[ToeJam]

Why not use dish soap and some elbow grease? As for bleaching the corals umm..why?

 

[petluvr]

I too use dish soap when cleaning tanks but I also advise against it as it takes LOTS of rinsing.

 

[denise2854]

the corals were in her garage for awhile. they went from white to gray

 

[cellodaisy]

Do not, under any circumstances, bleach your tank with anything in it. If your tank is bare, empty, etc., then you can bleach it. Bleach will kill everything in the tank if it has inhabitants, live rock, live sand, etc. Again, only bare, completely empty tanks can be bleached. Just rinse it out well after bleaching it and allow it to dry.

When you bleach your coral, be sure to soak it in a dechlorinating solution afterward, since it tends to be very porous. The bleach will often remain in the interstices long after drying. An old customer of mine killed his entire tank that way.

Good point. I just sort of assumed that this was an empty tank waiting to be set up. If not, do as Amphiprion says---don't bleach the tank!