tanking down tank

[matman]

Hey, i'm taking down my 75 g. I'm making sure its ok to use bleach on the inside of the tank to clean it...

also can i soak things in bleach? Like the overflow? And the return hoses and all that jazz.

thanks,
matt

[tecwzrd]

Vinegar and water usually is sufficient enough to clean your tank with and is less risky than using bleach. You can use bleach (1 part bleach, 3 parts water) but have to make sure you rinse everything very well and allow a couple of weeks to dry out for the bleach to dissipate.

[AquaReefer]

Yeah I would stay away from the bleach just because its bleach. When I broke down my 20g after a year of it being a reef I used a razor blade and some really really hot water on the tank filter, power heads ect.... I didnt use any chemicals. I then sold it to a friend and the tank/hardware has no marks or anything. Try going natural before adding chemicals.

[Tex]

Chlorine atoms in the right quantities can kill any living organism in the world. Proceed with caution.

[melosu58]

When I used it on mine a long time ago I used it sparingly and when I put water in it I put some dechlorinator in it and ran it for awhile. I know they say that after time it will dissapate but I say better safe than sorry.

[tecwzrd]

Originally Posted by Tex

Chlorine atoms in the right quantities can kill any living organism in the world. Proceed with caution.

Sure, and so can drinking too much water.

And yet Clorine abounds in nature.

Chlorine is found largely in seawater where it exists as sodium chloride.

That's why I stated 1 part chlorine, 3 parts water as a “safe dosage” which has been used by me and other aquarist for decades. The key is waiting long enough for the chlorine to dissipate which usually just takes a couple of days (in the sun accelerates this). I personally like to wait a couple of weeks and keep back-ups of everything I might need to chlorinate. I’ve been bleaching my micron filters along with other equipment in this matter and never have had the slightest trouble with any “chemical levels”

The only problem with using Chemical Dechlorinators is that it can discharge small traces of [acronym:e4f7cd629a="Ammonia"]nh3[/acronym:e4f7cd629a] so use that sparingly also.

[Tex]

Ahh, agreed. A grown, healthy adult can drink a teaspoon of bleach with no harm. You can swallow pool water. You can also add a teaspoon of bleach to a gallon of stream water to kill micro-organisms. As a matter of fact, you can't survive without chlorine.

But I stand by my statement, enough chlorine will kill any known organism.

[Brenden]

It will also bleach your clothes.

[Raker333]

and Teeth

[Raker333]

and Teeth