Bleach for cleaning a empty tank?

[Whitecloud09]

Hi all, of course what  the title says, I need a way to clean and kill all bacteria in my 2 year old empty used  5 gallon tank. I read you can use regular or household bleach? Is this true? In general how to clean and kill all the bacteria in my tank that a sick betta was in, thanks in advance guys.

[T. Payne]

I've used beach in the past and it does work. I fee things to keep in mind in doing so, I would not use splashes bleach, in a 5 gallon I would fill the tank and use a little bleach and let it so for a few hours, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse, fill the tank again and use 3x the amount of recommended dechlorinator and let it soak for a few hours, and rinse again and you should be good to go. At this point the aquarium should no longer smell like bleach.

[clownbaby]

Yes, this is true! Bleach is a great multi-purpose cleaner.

Before you use any bleach solution, rinse and scrub the tank with hot water and allow it to air dry. Try to scrub off any fish poop, dirt, dust, etc before using bleach. If it isn't coming off easily with warm water, you can use a light soap or vinegar to help out. If there are some stains, that is okay though... no need to be perfect. [If you do use a light soap or vinegar, make sure you rinse it off fully before using bleach!) 🙂 🙂  Using standard bleach (4% to 8% concentration ... this is standard for most bleach - check the back to see if they note the concentration), make a bleach solution with 1/2 to 1 tablespoons of bleach to every gallon of water or so. Use hot water. 

Using a clean rag or sponge, scrub the tank. Allow it to partially air-dry, and then rinse completely with hot water. Allow it to air dry after rinsing. If you'd like, you can repeat this. 

Finally, once you're finished using any bleach, rinse your tank multiple times with water. I would personally recommend rinsing it at least five times. After all of that, you can also dab a little dechlorinator on a wet rag and wipe down the tank - this will neutralize any leftover bleach residue. 

I hope this helps!

[TJ _isme]

I have a 29 gallon guppy tank and I got the tank from goodwill for super cheap, the tank was dirty and smelled bad so I was sure it was full of bacteria and whatnot, so I took it home and cleaned it out really well with my hose then I filled it with water and added bleach and let it set over night, then I rinsed it out super well and got it free from the bleach, I spent almost 30 mins just rinsing to make sure there was no bleach left, when I was done there was not bleach smell or anything. The tank has had fish for 3-4 months and no problems so far.

[Tony s]

Back when I used to do lab research, a 2% bleach solution was considered effective for 99% of most pathogens. 
 

and yeah, stay away from the splashless bleach. The additive that makes it splashless, leaves a residue that is difficult to remove.

[PluckyD]

I can’t tell from your post if the tank has actually been empty for two years or that it had been set up for two years with a betta and is now fishless after a recent death. If the latter, I’m sorry for your loss! But also, the tank would be cycled and it would be a shame to start from scratch if you don’t have to.

Like others have said, you could use bleach, but an alternative is to simply not put any new fish in the tank for a few weeks and likely, any illness that could be transferred will likely die. Definitely do what allows you to sleep at night though, but just wanted to add that nuking everything isn’t the only option in case you weren’t aware.

 

[Schuyler]

Bleach is fine. I've even read a tropical fish hobbyist magazine article by some well known fish people who recommend adding a few drops in with your brine shrimp eggs. It's supposed to kill off any hitchhikers and he'll decapitate the shrimp. By the time they hatch any bleach will have gassed off.

If you're worried just used extra dechlorinator when you rinse.

[Galabar]

My question would be why?  What would bleaching accomplish.  Most or all of the diseases that we deal with in the aquarium would be killed by drying.

[TOtrees]

I'm of two minds here. Yes bleach is effective, and if used (and dechlorinated) properly there is no risk to the next occupants. But also agree with others that the time since the tank had water in it virtually guarantees there won't be any fish pathogens. 

Note that cleaning and sanitizing are two different things. You don't need bleach to clean (although in some cases it sure can be helpful 🙂 ), that's where soap, vinegar, scouring pads, razors or similar, and good ol' elbow grease will get the job done. I like Dawn soap for the same reason that it's used for de-oiling birds; it rinses off well and leaves no/less residue). 

Where bleach will provide an assist with simple cleaning is where the pores of something are clogged with an organic material, or scraping to remove dried gunk might damage it. Or where you can get liquid to a location but not scrubbing power. Examples where I use bleach for straight cleaning includes clogged air stones, C02 diffuser, longer hoses & tubes, and plastic plants and ornaments that have a lot of buildup (where you can't easily get into nooks and crannies). Note that for all these applications peroxide would also work, but you'd need a lot more, it's more expensive, and it isn't active for as long (especially if there is lots of organic matter to break down). 

So if I'm reading your situation correctly, I'd be going for elbow grease clean, but not worried about sanitizing. 

[Guppysnail]

A safer alternative to bleach is hydrogen peroxide 3% solution from the grocery.  It will kill everything bleach kills. It’s even affective faster on mycobacteria. It naturally breaks down to hydrogen and water plus leaves zero residue. 
spray or douse and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Wipe it out or rinse. No real need to rinse. 

[jwcarlson]

If it's been dry, I don't think you need to bleach it.  Just clean it (scrub, maybe use some vinegar if you've got mineral deposits) and go.

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/9/2024 at 8:46 AM, jwcarlson said:

If it's been dry, I don't think you need to bleach it.  Just clean it (scrub, maybe use some vinegar if you've got mineral deposits) and go.

Thanks. It is dry. 

 

On 5/9/2024 at 5:29 AM, Galabar said:

My question would be why?  What would bleaching accomplish.  Most or all of the diseases that we deal with in the aquarium would be killed by drying.

True, I was mainly wondering how to clean it. And saw that I could use bleach.

 

On 5/9/2024 at 7:49 AM, Guppysnail said:

A safer alternative to bleach is hydrogen peroxide 3% solution from the grocery.  It will kill everything bleach kills. It’s even affective faster on mycobacteria. It naturally breaks down to hydrogen and water plus leaves zero residue. 
spray or douse and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Wipe it out or rinse. No real need to rinse. 

Thanks a lot @Guppysnail! 

 

On 5/8/2024 at 9:52 PM, clownbaby said:

Yes, this is true! Bleach is a great multi-purpose cleaner.

Before you use any bleach solution, rinse and scrub the tank with hot water and allow it to air dry. Try to scrub off any fish poop, dirt, dust, etc before using bleach. If it isn't coming off easily with warm water, you can use a light soap or vinegar to help out. If there are some stains, that is okay though... no need to be perfect. [If you do use a light soap or vinegar, make sure you rinse it off fully before using bleach!) 🙂 🙂  Using standard bleach (4% to 8% concentration ... this is standard for most bleach - check the back to see if they note the concentration), make a bleach solution with 1/2 to 1 tablespoons of bleach to every gallon of water or so. Use hot water. 

Using a clean rag or sponge, scrub the tank. Allow it to partially air-dry, and then rinse completely with hot water. Allow it to air dry after rinsing. If you'd like, you can repeat this. 

Finally, once you're finished using any bleach, rinse your tank multiple times with water. I would personally recommend rinsing it at least five times. After all of that, you can also dab a little dechlorinator on a wet rag and wipe down the tank - this will neutralize any leftover bleach residue. 

I hope this helps!

It did thanks! 

 

On 5/9/2024 at 1:44 AM, PluckyD said:

I can’t tell from your post if the tank has actually been empty for two years or that it had been set up for two years with a betta and is now fishless after a recent death. If the latter, I’m sorry for your loss! But also, the tank would be cycled and it would be a shame to start from scratch if you don’t have to.

Like others have said, you could use bleach, but an alternative is to simply not put any new fish in the tank for a few weeks and likely, any illness that could be transferred will likely die. Definitely do what allows you to sleep at night though, but just wanted to add that nuking everything isn’t the only option in case you weren’t aware.

 

It is empty now, was previously set up 2 years ago. My betta died a month ago, it’s completely empty now, nothing but a dirty tank and filter. Thanks @PluckyD!

 

On 5/9/2024 at 7:45 AM, TOtrees said:

I'm of two minds here. Yes bleach is effective, and if used (and dechlorinated) properly there is no risk to the next occupants. But also agree with others that the time since the tank had water in it virtually guarantees there won't be any fish pathogens. 

Note that cleaning and sanitizing are two different things. You don't need bleach to clean (although in some cases it sure can be helpful 🙂 ), that's where soap, vinegar, scouring pads, razors or similar, and good ol' elbow grease will get the job done. I like Dawn soap for the same reason that it's used for de-oiling birds; it rinses off well and leaves no/less residue). 

Where bleach will provide an assist with simple cleaning is where the pores of something are clogged with an organic material, or scraping to remove dried gunk might damage it. Or where you can get liquid to a location but not scrubbing power. Examples where I use bleach for straight cleaning includes clogged air stones, C02 diffuser, longer hoses & tubes, and plastic plants and ornaments that have a lot of buildup (where you can't easily get into nooks and crannies). Note that for all these applications peroxide would also work, but you'd need a lot more, it's more expensive, and it isn't active for as long (especially if there is lots of organic matter to break down). 

So if I'm reading your situation correctly, I'd be going for elbow grease clean, but not worried about sanitizing. 

Ok got it, so maybe I don’t need bleach? Just a good rinse with warm water, scrub all the poop/algae out and do a good clean of my filter.  Am I correct? Thanks for the info @TOtrees.

 

On 5/8/2024 at 9:41 PM, T. Payne said:

I've used beach in the past and it does work. I fee things to keep in mind in doing so, I would not use splashes bleach, in a 5 gallon I would fill the tank and use a little bleach and let it so for a few hours, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse, fill the tank again and use 3x the amount of recommended dechlorinator and let it soak for a few hours, and rinse again and you should be good to go. At this point the aquarium should no longer smell like bleach.

Thanks a lot! 
 

@clownbaby, @T. Payne, @TJ _isme, @Guppysnail, @Galabar, @Tony s, @jwcarlson, @PluckyD, and @Schuyler, thanks. 
 

So after all this, should I worry about bleaching my tank, or really really good cleaning will do it? The disease my betta had is not contagious btw. 

[Guppysnail]

On 5/9/2024 at 9:21 AM, Whitecloud09 said:

So after all this, should I worry about bleaching my tank, or really really good cleaning will do it? The disease my betta had is not contagious btw. 

I have never used bleach. A good scrub and air dry does the trick. I always use a $1 bottle of spray hydrogen peroxide for good measure but it’s not needed. 

[lefty o]

a tank that has been dried out a week or two, or more, 99.99999% of any pathogen that may have been in it is dead. if it were me, warm water, and a little vinegar would be as aggressive as id go for cleaning. with me, fish tanks, and bleach dont go together.

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/9/2024 at 9:51 AM, Guppysnail said:

I have never used bleach. A good scrub and air dry does the trick. I always use a $1 bottle of spray hydrogen peroxide for good measure but it’s not needed. 

Ok, no bleach probably then, i dont have any actually at the moment, thanks @Guppysnail, @lefty o. Just warm water and scrub

[jwcarlson]

I bleach and scrub my fry containers to disinfect them and have noticed a much better egg hatch/survival rate of fry.  BUT I rinse them really well and they typically dry and it on a shelf for days or weeks.  Then I rinse them again before fry or eggs go in.