Cleaning heater/decor after dropsy?

[Jiirim]

My HM, Roy, passed away a few months ago from dropsy. It was pretty hard to deal with and I ended up just letting his tank/decor/heater collect dust in the back of my closet since his death. But now, since I have steadily grown my collection of betta again, I figure it's time to reserve that tank and put that heater back to use.

My only concern is how to clean them so none of my other fish get sick. How would I go about cleaning my heater and decorations?

I'm not sure I'll use the tank again, it was a cheap find at Goodwill that I repaired.

[Oldfishlady]

Since dropsy is a symptom and not a disease in of itself...Its hard to say if any other fish could be harmed from the use. With that said, since you let it dry-usually the pathogens will die too, however, to error on the side of caution-it wouldn't hurt to clean everything in a diluted solution of water/bleach (20:1 ratio)-rinse well and use a bit extra dechlorinator with the final fill. IMO-the tank should be safe to use too.

[Jiirim]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

Since dropsy is a symptom and not a disease in of itself...Its hard to say if any other fish could be harmed from the use. With that said, since you let it dry-usually the pathogens will die too, however, to error on the side of caution-it wouldn't hurt to clean everything in a diluted solution of water/bleach (20:1 ratio)-rinse well and use a bit extra dechlorinator with the final fill. IMO-the tank should be safe to use too.

Alright, thanks!
Would white vinegar work as well? I don't have my hands on any bleach.

[Oldfishlady]

The vinegar will work-but it won't sterilize like the bleach can, however, you may not need to worry about that since you let it sit dry for awhile.

[callistra]

Anything porous, like ceramic ornaments, I would toss. There is a risk it will hold onto some of the bleach and it can leach out over time. But non porous things and the tank itself are safe to use bleach or vinegar.. IMHO, I would do bleach in the case of dropsy.