Should I sterilize used aquarium before setting up?

[trochilids]

HI folks,

I've got three large aquariums that I purchased off Craig'sList, used. All were running "tropical" FW fish up until the time I transferred them to my house, and appeared clean. The transfer went smoothly, and I left things pretty much as they were as I transitioned to my personal tank preferences (live plants vs plastic, etc.) to let the existing bene bacteria adapt to the changes.

But I also recently purchased a used 10 gallon (with decorations, gravel, filter, etc.) for my kids. This tank has been sitting dormant for about 4 months and is crusty and dry. How would you recommend I proceed with this one? Just clean it with vinegar and proceed with the start of the cycle? Or bleach everything good to sterilize first and essentially "start over." ??

My thoughts would be since I don't know the condition of the tank while running, it's probably best to just start over with sterilized stuff... Any better recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[Ruadh]

A good bleach bath is a very good idea.
There are some of the critters that infect our fish that can survive a long time dormant and of course as soon as you put a fish in there, bingo! Ich or something just as yuckie.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Bleach and a de-chlorinator wash after the bleach wash, I use straight sodium theosulfate, but any de-chlorinator will work.

 

[trochilids]

Appreciate the confirmation. It's being done...

 

[severum mama]

I wouldn't have bothered with the bleach. I've set up a ton of used tanks and never had any issues. A good vinegar scrub would have been sufficient but the sterilization certainly won't hurt.

 

[melosu58]

I`ve done the bleach thing but you`ll need to make sure after you rinse it real good that you let it air dry completely.