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Are plastic tanks safe to use?

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  LittleBlueFishlets 
#1 ·
My betta fish of two years died of dropsy a few months ago, I miss him dearly but I think I'm ready to get a new little friend. I've learned a lot about their care, and this time I will be providing a heater & more regular water changes for my new friend.

My main question is I have a plastic tank that is about 4 gallons, is plastic ok to keep bettas in? I have a glass 2.5 gallon tank that I had my previous betta in, but I don't know about using it since he died of dropsy and I'm not sure how to sanitize it properly. Is plastic ok? Would it be worth it to have more space for him? I don't know if the plastic will be safe in warm water, I kept feeder fish for a crayfish in there without a heater and they were fine.. And if I end up using the glass one, what's the best way to make sure my new fish doesn't end up with dropsy from a contaminated tank?

Thank you for any help. I am excited to start caring for a betta again :)
 
#4 · (Edited)
A plastic (acrylic) tank is fine. And the heater isn't an issue. (All of my tanks are acrylic, and have heaters. Also, I wash them weekly with hot water.)

Heaters only take the water temp up to about 82F. But our bodies are at 98.6F! So if a heater isn't even are warm as we are!

(That said, you don't want to use a heater when it's not submerged, because in that case, the temp *could* rise to dangerous levels. As long as it's used underwater though, it should only heat the water to the desired temp of roughly 78-82F.)

If your tank hasn't been used in several months, and has been dry this whole time, anything bacterial or viral (unless it's mycobacterial) is likely dead. However, just in case.....

To disinfect your old tank, hot water followed by air drying (especially in sunshine) is probably OK. If you want to step it up a level, use vinegar, then rinse really well and air dry (in the sun, if possible). And if you are really concerned, you can wash it out with a dilute bleach solution, then rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, air dry, and double dose on water conditioner the first time you refill.

(I had a fish die of unknown illness. I used dilute bleach to clean his acrylic (plastic) tank, rinsed LOTS and LOTS with hot water, then air dried for several days, and used extra water conditioner when I refilled. I've had a new fish in there for a few months now, and he's fine.)
 
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