What can i use to clean out a used fish tank before filling it?

Question

I just received a 55 gal. tank from someone and it still has the gravel and a tiny tiny bit of water (just in the gravel) left in it. it really needs cleaned, but i was told i can't use soap or anything. what can i use to be safe? how safe would a vinegar and water mixture be?

Answer 1

This sounds pretty scary but I used to shock mine by add using bleach...Yes a couple of cups of bleach with 55 gal. of water...and it cleans up nicely along with algae ridden rocks and plastic plants, let it sit for a few hours.....make sure that you rinse and drain it out around 3 times and add additional chlorine drops just in case you have a little residual bleach. I have had over 100 aquariums and 35- 200 gal horse troughs full of fish and I promise I have never lost a tank of fish from doing this.

Answer 2

I'd toss out the gravel, and clean the tank with an aquarium safe cleaner. You can get that at most pet stores. Other thing you could do is mix up a very mild bleach solution, and clean the tank with it, and wait a few days for it to dry. Bleach will evaporate and become safe. Clean the filter in luke warm water, nothing else. Rinse and scrub it without any soap. Then set up the tank, let it cycle at least 2 days with no fish in it and activated charcoal in the filter to make sure all chemicals are out of the water.

Answer 3

First, I like the Oxyclean idea, however you can use whatever you wish to clean it. Bleach is fine. I once used CLR on a bad used tank I got. My whole point is that glass rinses off completely and the only thing you need to do is make double sure it's well rinsed by over-rinsing it. Vinegar and water is safe to use, but needs to be rinsed just like any other method.

If you prefer not the toss perfectly good gravel you do have the option of boiling it or giving it a good rinse through a strainer with very hot water, which will kill bacteria that may reside in it. Throwing it out is easier, but unnecessary and more expensive.

Answer 4

You really should consider throwing out the gravel. If it hasn't been used for a while, there will be all sorts of evil bacteria growing in there.

As for the tank, some people use a mild mixture of bleach and water. First give it a good scrub, rinse it out. Fill the whole tank up with the bleach solution. Let it sit overnight. Empty and rinse thoroughly. For at least 10 minutes. You can also use aquarium salt to clean the tank.

If you insist on keeping the stones - scoop them out into a bucket, or buckets, put them under a faucet and run hot water, until the gravel comes clean. Use your hands to agitate the stones once in a while (to the bottom of the bucket) In otherwords, keep doing it until no more brown debris, nice clear water. Then mix in aquarium salt, let stand for 1/2 hour and let the water out of the faucet into the bucket at a slow rate, for about 10 minutes. Don't use bleach for cleaning the stones.

Personally, I think you should throw out the stones.

Good luck.

Answer 5

The safest strong cleaner for your aquarium is a laundry product called Oxy-clean. It's active ingredient is Oxygen as opposed to chlorine in bleach or acetic acid in vinegar. If you have lots of calcium (hard water build-up) vinegar will help to remove it ,then go on and finish with Oxyclean and a through rinse.

Answer 6

I'm sure vinegar and water is good, its safe for cats and dogs and its natural. just be sure to rinse thoroughly....but they have vacuums for fish tanks as well as this magnetic cleaner that sits on the walls of the tank even when there's water in it

Answer 7

go to the store and buy a filter cleaner. I was just at the store today, and you can get kinds that also clean the walls of a tank. It doesn't remove the gravel, just the dirt and muck.

Answer 8

Just clean it with very hot water. paper towel dry it, and set it up. It's a fact that temperatures of 90 degrees and above will kill any host's of any type. don't use soap. you would be amazed at how much soap residue will stay . And that could kill you new fish.