Post Columnaris Death

[Fish Mom LPJ]

Hello !!!

I just had a betta pass away from what we think was Columnaris. Can I use gravel and hardscape out of that tank to cycle a new tank or is that stuff infected and would make the new betta sick ? Medication was given in the tank. 

[Schmorty]

So, I would stay on the side of caution and not use the decor and gravel from that tank, because my research indicates that the bacteria can live for weeks without a fishy host. Most people would advise sterilizing everything. I'm in the aftermath of an outbreak, and I don't want to kill all my plants. So, I'm letting my display tank sit fishless for a couple of months and hopefully any virulent strains die off. I'm also being very careful to not cross-contaminate to my other tanks by using separate buckets, siphons, and other equipment.

[Cory]

I personally would just add a bunch of salt to the tank and let it sit for a week or so. I don't really understand the "starting over" thing after illness. If that was a thing, all fish stores like mine would be constantly doing it. We never do that, and don't have any recurring illnesses. Mostly taking simple precautions of letting a disease die out or using extra meds or salt to be sure is  more than enough.