detergent residue

[Lingwah]

Hi,

I haven't got any sick fish cos they're not in the tank.... however...
just bought a large second hand aquarium (190 litres) and filled it with water and destressing chemicals, put in plants and decorations, set up filter and heater, and then started to rinse and put in gravel.
After about putting in about 3 cups of well rinsed gravel, i noticed it was stored in a container that originally held laundry detergent...
yikes!
3 cups of 4xrinsed gravel in a large tank... is it going to contaminate everything? do i need to chuck everything out? Do i need to remove and clean everything? Or will it be safe it I do extra water changes. any help will be appreciated.

 

[roadmaster]

If all of the gravel being used has been stored in the bucket that formerly held soap, then I would not use it but that's just me.
If the bucket that formerly held soap was rinsed really well before placing the gravel in ,then perhaps it would pose less risk.
If you don't know whether the bucket was rinsed well, then I might give all of the gravel several rinsings and place it in a clean container or as mentioned,, Get some new gravel.

At just three cups,, I am doubtful that filters,hoses,decorations ,would be too affected but don't take my word on this. Soap residue depending on the amount,can be quite difficult to clear from the tank.

I keep gravel in old five gallon buckets that once held floor wax but I use nearly scalding hot water to rinse them out before using them.
Use same buckets for acclimating new fish.
I might purchase a couple clean buckets from Walmart to use for my tanks were it me.They aren't very expensive and I would keep them somewhere where family members were'nt likely to grab one for uses that would harm my fishes. I use a black marker and write... "For fish tanks only " on mine.

 

[jsoong]

Hi & welcome to AA!!

The most sensitive thing in your tank to detergents would be the bacteria. <Soaps kills bugs ....>. So if you can establish a cycle, you are prob OK.

I would rinse everything well & see if I can get a fishless cycle established. If the bacteria can thrive, then the fish should be fine.

 

[BigJim]

+1 for jsoong. If you're really worried, take the gravel outside, put it in a colander, and hit it with the garden hose for a while. After that, do a fishless cycle.