Cleaning items for a tank

R

ric_uk

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Mar 18, 2004
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Hi,

I just bought a new tank (48"*18"*12") and over the weekend I want to start getting the tank decor in. (malawi mbuna in a semi false marine style).

Some of the things I want to add to the tank aren't 'aquarium products' such as perspex and plastic tubing that I want to use to build some caves and 'landscape' the tank and some sea shells. What is the best way to 'clean' these items before adding them to the tank? I thought of boiling them but that won't be possible with the plastic stuff. Bleach? Household detergent?

Thanks for your help.
 
If you want to get dirt off just use a scrubbing pad and hot (not boiling) water. If you want to kill anything that could possibly be ont he surface use a dilute bleach solution and soak them for a bit. then soak them in some water with dechlorinator and let them dry out.
 
Carbonate-bearing materials are entirely appropriate for mbuna tanks IMHO & IME. Lake Malawi is not salty, but it is hard and alkaline. I've always used marine subtrates to help support that chemistry.
 
You hear a lot of rules on the web concerning FW tanks, some examples:

The pH must 7.0 +/- 0.2.

You need soft water to grow plants.

You should always add salt to FW tanks.

Iodized salt will kill fish.

Never do a water change while cycling with fish.

Vacuuming gravel will remove nitrification bacteria.

Ich is always present in FW tanks.

Never use shells, coral or aragonite gravel gravel, or limestone rocks in FW.

None, repeat, none of the above is true as a general rule, most are never true.

Carbonate-bearing materials are quite valuable in Rift Lake tanks (both Malawi and Tanganyika). Heavy shells such as the conch you mentioned are dirt traps, so may cause issues from that, but in a rift tank that is the only issue. You would not want to use such in a ram or apisto tank, or an Amazonian biotope - but those are hardly the only tank types commonly kept.

The best use of salt in relation to FW tanks is to take a grain of it with the majority of the "help" provided on the forums. Folks try to be helpful by repeating what they have heard, or what they read somewhere unspecified, but not what they know to be true in fact. Big difference, huge. A serious lack of understanding of water chemistry, along with various related topics, creates bizarre mythology.

I don't use coral in rift tanks myself - it looks peculiar in FW. But chemically it would be a benefit, just as is aragonite or the other materials I use to serve the same function. What do you think shell-dwellers live in in the wild? Plastic or ceramic shells? Nope. They live in large snail shells, composed largely of - calcium carbonate.

HTH
 
thanks for the advice everyone.

Today I'm off to another LFS I heard about that stocks alot of specialist stuff like marine and big fish, they should have a good stock of decor items. I'll try to get most of the decor from there and minimise the 'non-aquarium' stuff that I want to add.

I must say that I'm really not too keen on using bleach to clean stuff, I'm worried about leaving some on and contaminating the water! Is this a possibilty?

Thanks for the tips about the shells. I only want to add reasonably small ones to enhance the look of the tank. Anyone know a good place to pick up cheap shells? Alot of DIY/home improvement stores stock them but would the be coated with anything?
 
ric_uk,

Please, don't use those "saltwater shells" to decorate your aquarium - unless, it's a saltwater tank.

The looks of a freshwater tank and a saltwater are very different.
;)
 
125g Joe,

Thanks for the advice but the look of a tank is entirely subjective and I'm only looking for advice on how to clean items to go in a tank, not what to add. As I said in my OP, I'm going for a 'semi' flase marine look (I think the overly bright and garish ones look bad) and the addition of items like sea shells will not have a negative impact on my water.

thanks Tando murphy, I guess I'm a little over cautious about the bleach. I'll keep an eye out for shells around my town.
 
First, use plain tapwater and a scrub brush to remove any dirt or loose material.

Then, make a solution of bleach by adding about one teaspoon to the gallon of water.

Let soak submerged for at least an hour, then rinse thoroughly, and let dry.

As an added precaution, I like to soak them again in water treated with a dechlorinator.

Be sure to get rid of all the bleach residue.
 
I WOULD NOT USE BLEACH TO CLEAN ANYTHING FOR A FISH TANK!....AGAINST RULES...VERY BAD FOR FISH, AND YOU'D BE TAKING TOO BIG OF CHANCE......I JUST PUT MINE INA PAN OF BOILING HOT WATER...DID THE TRICK!...i'VE ALSO HEARD OF USING AQUARIUM SALT IN THE (BOILING)WATER TO DISINFECT ......CHEMICALS ARE not RECCOMMENDED! NO SOAP...BLEACH.......ETC REMEBER!....DO NOT USE TABLE SALT....USE AQUARIUM SALT!GOOD LUCK!
 
Bleach isnt all that bad, just make sure you scrub it out. Most people who have texas holey rock-myself included, have bleached it to get it as white as possible. I soaked mine in bleach, sprayed it off, then let it dry, sprayed it off again, then put it in the bathtub. I filled up the bathtub, let it soak for 30 minutes, and drained it several times. More work than needed, but I wanted to be on the safe side. If you take your time and do it right, bleach is completly safe. That being said, if you can avoid bleach, then obviously its a lot safer.
 
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