Raphaello Died - How do i disinfect his tank?

[smurpheygirl]

I would like to move one of my girls into Raphaello's tank, but I want to be clear about disinfecting it before doing so....since I am pretty sure he died from a bacterial infection, would it suffice to soak everything in bleach, then soak it in water, then let it all sit out for a couple of days, including the gravel?

[smurpheygirl]

also, i am thinking i will take the bamboo out and just put it a vase....????

[callistra]

You don't want to soak anything porous. Also bleach may remove color from the gravel, although it would be safe to bleach it otherwise.

The tank and anything glass and non porous can be bleached. Ceramic tank ornaments, etc cannot be and will simply need to be replaced to be 100% safe.

Fill the tank up with 10% bleach (the rest water) solution and put anything in it that can also be bleached. Soak 10-15minutes or so then rinse like crazy until there is zero bleach smell and you are sure it's gone. At this point I usually refill with just plain tap water and add some good dechlorinator like prime and then let that soak a while. Rerinse and outgas 24 hours and you should be good to go.