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I washed my tank?

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772 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  sarahspins 
#1 ·
Hey there, Betta lovers.

I have a minor problem that I need some advice/help on. Long story short... I lost my betta a couple weeks back. He was my first, and I'm blaming his passing completely on my own stupidity and lack of knowledge on how to care for them properly. Tonight, I plan on buying my second betta and doing it right this time. I'm actually planning on keeping a journal/log of all the activity and my experience with my betta #2.

Not exactly a long story short yet, huh? Okay, well, I once had a goldfish. I still have his tank and I thought, "Well, why not spoil this betta by housing him in Montgomery's old tank?" So, I got it out and started to clean it. I grabbed what I thought was a fresh sponge out of the package (with no harm cleaners in it) but it turns out that the FRESH sponge was not the one I grabbed.

I accidentally used a semi-soapy sponge on the tank! I proceeded to rinse it super well with steaming hot water and it's air drying right now. I have a bowl to keep my new betta in for now but I would like to eventually put him in the tank.

Is the tank able to be saved? How do I rid it of the chemicals? I tried reading up online elsewhere but I've read everything from "ditch the tank" and "just rinse it out, you're good". I need to know for sure.

Help?
 
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#2 ·
If you are really concerned, you could fill it with a bleach solution. 90% water, 10% bleach. Let it sit, then rinse with very hot water several times. If it was me, and the tank was small enough, I would just toss it in an empty (soapless!) dishwasher on the sanitize cycle and call it done.
 
#3 ·
If you rinsed really really really well the soap is not likely to cause a problem. I wouldn't run it through the dishwasher - extended exposure to high heat can damage the silicone.

Personally I'd let it dry and then rinse it out again just to be sure.. then make sure you have an aquarium only scrubbie/sponge and keep it in a labeled bag so there aren't any future mix ups :) I use a scotch brite pad to clean up the calcium deposits at the waterline on my tanks since we have such hard water here.. and I actually keep it in a small container when it's not in use.
 
#4 ·
vinegar is also good (and safer than bleach) for cleaning all sorts of nasty out of tanks. i got an 8-gallon tank at goodwill that someone let fill with pine needles (of all things) and they were stuck hard to the bottom with tree sap. an 8-hour soak in vinegary water and the thing was good as new!
 
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