How should I clean my fish aquarium ornaments/decorations? Is bleach OK?
by Aquaboy on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 | 9 Comments
I have a 10 Gallon Aquarium and my decorations are very dirty.
The colour has faded into a dark brown dirty colour.
I researched and found out that I could use a bucket of water and add 1/2 cup of bleach in it and soak my ornaments. I can then take them out and rinse them in HOT Water for about 60 seconds and then they should be safe to put back in the Aquarium.
***I would like to know if these steps are safe and if using bleach is safe.
PLEASE HELP!
I dont think bleach would be good.
If there is any traces of it left in the tank when you put the fish back in, it could kill them.
A pet store should sell cleaning supplies.
I wouldn’t use bleach. The “dirt” probably contains some algae and living material that’s healthy for a tank. If you want to clean them then take them out and use some water and simply scrub them with a clean sponge that’s not been used for anything else (don’t use any that have been in contact with soap or cleaning supplies). If you need something a bit abrasive then use epsom or aquarium salts (NOT table salt!). There’s no need for bleach at all.
yes, diluted bleach is perfectly safe for your aquarium cleaning…it will destroy the muck growing on your decorations…..be sure though to rinse it off thoroughly…even let them air dry overnight afterwards…..fishes are cool…..
The dark brown dirty color is diatom growth…. otherwise known as brown algae.
Chlorine bleach with no other additives is perfectly safe.Usually 1 part bleach to 10 parts water is sufficient to do the job. It’s chlorine,so rinsing very well in water containing a dechlorinator will neutralize it.
Simplest? …. if it still has a bleach/chlorine smell you haven’t rinsed it enough.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!! No soap or any kind of chemical. The best way to clean a tank or accessories is to scrub with salt and enough water to make a thin paste. You can boil rocks and ceramics but not plastics to sterilize. I recently bought several filters and pumps at a yard sale, $20 for over $100 new. I killed all my breeder female guppies and my breeding pair of albino Oscar’s. I found out later from the people that donated the box of aquarium supplies that she had washed them in soapy water but (rinsed them real good) and said she washed with salt after I told her she should have washed in salt water. My guppy breeding program took a bad turn and the Oscar’s I had raised for ! 1 & 1/2 years were gone. I never dreamed of such a thing. So BE CAREFUL!!!
The “dirt” is beneficial bacteria that grows in the filter and on decorations and gravel. if you have cycled the tank (http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm) then you can clean the decorations with a 1/19 solution of bleach. that is 1 part bleach to 19 parts water. make sure when you are done to rinse the decorations with hot water and air out the decorations until the bleach smell is gone.
if you intended to re-use your bleach soaked ornaments, do really clean wash it by soak it again in clean water use aerator or small pump to rinse it and change the water regularly until you can not trace any smell of bleach anymore.
but i’m suggesting to buy new one. its a lot more safer and easier.
My motto is “If in doubt,chuck it out” most ornaments are cheaper than fish,keep them safe…
Sit your items in the sun for about a week & the algae will die off.