rubbermaid totes... safe? any special prep?

[copi]

I'd like to make use of some rubbermaid totes for movement and (very) temporary housing for my soft corals, inverts, and small fish during an aquarium move. Do I have to prepare them in any special way to make them safe for the critters?

Thanks.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Have you ever used them for anything else besides water? If not, or they are new, then they are just fine as they are. Might want to give it a rinse and scrub with some warm water before the fish go in, just to be safe.

 

[austinsdad]

Will bleach and a good rinsing do if they have been used?

 

[roka64]

And some air drying (to get the bleach out).

 

[Ziggy953]

I would use very little bleach when doing that and I would rinse them thouroughly and allow to air dry as Roka said.

 

[austinsdad]

OK, but no soaps please.

 

[Ziggy953]

Absolutely NO SOAP!

 

[melosu58]

Definitely no soap. I kind of would not use the bleach either but if you do make sure it is no more than a capful in the whole bucket and a couple days of drying will be best.

 

[Steven Pro]

What were these totes used for previously?

 

[copi]

What were these totes used for previously?

My original question was for new, unused totes.

 

[Steven Pro]

Will bleach and a good rinsing do if they have been used?

Sorry, got confused with this comment.

New totes are fine. I would just rinse them a bit to get rid of some of that plastic smell. You could even use baking soda to help get rid of the odor. Baking soda is perfectly safe.

 

[austinsdad]

My original question was for new, unused totes.

Now we're talking....

BTW, I've never used bleach to clean aquarium stuff. Just heard it mentioned more than a few times in the past.

Anybody wanna expound on it/'splain it further - for those like me and others who maybe were wonderin'? When would anyone use it? Extreme cleaning?

 

[Ziggy953]

I use bleach to clean out my clear hoses that I use for water changes and syphoning of gunk out of my tanks. I fill a 5gallon bucket up with water and put 2 cap fulls of bleach in the water and mix it up good, then I syphon that 5 gallons through my hose killing any bacteria or algae that has accumulated in them over a month or so of use. After that I have a hook up for my hose on a faucet and run water through it for a good 30 minutes or so to flush the lines out. I've been doing this for over 2 years (FW nut before a Reefer) with no problems. Please note that I use a very diluted solution but it does the trick. That clear tubing can get right nasty after a while and I like to reuse as long as I can.


****I have never used bleach to clean anything else out*****

 

[Leaf]

BTW, I've never used bleach to clean aquarium stuff. Just heard it mentioned more than a few times in the past.

Anybody wanna expound on it/'splain it further - for those like me and others who maybe were wonderin'? When would anyone use it? Extreme cleaning?

It is a very effective disinfecting "agent" that is commonly available to the average shopper.

It's often used to sterilize equipment for any number of reasons (after disease outbreak, after a quarantine has finished, etc.)

Bleach is also effective at the extreme cleaning -- soak whatever you want to clean in a bucket of water with some bleach added, wait a day or two, rinse == nice and clean! (yeah, some exceptions apply here...)

Of course, usual cautions and precautions apply when using bleach (read the side of the container)

Also, keep in mind anything cleaned with bleach will need to be thoroughly rinsed afterwards and some items (rubber suction cups, sponge filters, exposed metal, et al.) can damaged or destroyed by bleach exposure. So, use with caution.

Additional note; for those who decide they need or want to use bleach, make sure it is "pure" bleach (smells like a swimming pool, and the bottle should indicate this as well) and not the scented bleach that is available.

 

[melosu58]

I have used bleach to clean a used tank. I only use 1 cap of regular bleach to a whole bucket of water. I then wash the tank off with it and let the tank air dry for a few days and then when I fill it up and getting it running then I add dechlorinator to be on the safe side. Steve S. said that air drying was suffiecient but I want that added protection. This is just what I do to clean used tanks and I have not had any problems on the 4 tanks I have cleaned. HTH

 

[Steven Pro]

I use bleach all the time to clean and sterilize things. You can also use, but not at the same time, white wine vinegar to help remove calcium deposits.

 

[MT79]

then wash the tank off with it and let the tank air dry for a few days and then when I fill it up and getting it running then I add dechlorinator to be on the safe side

I knew there was something people used after cleaning equipment w/ bleach, I just could not remember what. Definitely better to be safe than sorry IMO.

 

[artoledo]

i cleaned my tank with boiling water. it took a while but i did it.