Orthoducks
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2023
- Messages
- 7
This concerns epoxy-coated gravel that is not in an active aquarium. The aquarium has long been dry, and I moved the gravel to a bucket. It's soiled with whatever the fish deposited on it plus about 15 years of house dust and anything else that fell in the tank.
I thought I could clean the gravel but pouring a few inches of it into another bucket, covering it with water, adding a squirt of dish detergent, and letting it sit. After a while, I'd stir up the gravel with my hand and pour off the dirty water. Then rinse and repeat until the water comes out clean.
Well, I've rinsed the first load of gravel about four times now, and the water pours out just as dirty as it did when I started. It's going to take a very long time at this reate. And when I'm done, I will have cleaned about 10% of the gravel I started with.
Is there a better way to do this?
I found one post that applies to a similar problem, Help! Need gravel cleaning advice, but it's mainly concerned with removing the odor of cat pee, so I don't think the products it recommends are likely to help me.
I thought I could clean the gravel but pouring a few inches of it into another bucket, covering it with water, adding a squirt of dish detergent, and letting it sit. After a while, I'd stir up the gravel with my hand and pour off the dirty water. Then rinse and repeat until the water comes out clean.
Well, I've rinsed the first load of gravel about four times now, and the water pours out just as dirty as it did when I started. It's going to take a very long time at this reate. And when I'm done, I will have cleaned about 10% of the gravel I started with.
Is there a better way to do this?
I found one post that applies to a similar problem, Help! Need gravel cleaning advice, but it's mainly concerned with removing the odor of cat pee, so I don't think the products it recommends are likely to help me.