I'm sorry

Disinfecting is a good precaution to take. If a potential risk can be removed, why not do it, right?

There are two ways you can disinfect, and the snail will need to be removed for this. I would also disinfect the filter, and get new media if it's easily replaced.

You can disinfect using bleach at a solution of 1 parts bleach to 19 parts water. Remove everything from the tank (gravel, decor, filter, heater- not chords of course lol), and soak in a solution for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and allow to completely air dry in the sun- this will break down any remaining bleach into harmless by-products.

For the tank, rub down the inside walls with the solution, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and set out to completely dry in the sun.

This is quite time consuming, but is effective. Providing everything completely dries you will be good to go.


Another, and more easier method is to use Potassium Permanganate (PP), and I prefer this myself. It does stain everything so wear gloves- same with bleach. The snail will have to be removed for this too.

For disinfecting, you can add PP directly to the tank once dissolved and let it run with the filter on for four hours. If it goes brown during this time, add some more to bring it back up.

This will kill all organic matter and any nasties. Brown is the colour it turns when it is deactivated, and you will need to deactivate it.

For this, you can add a generous amount of Hydgrogen Peroxide, or use Seachem Prime. That will turn the water from purple to brown (clear with prime). You can then remove the water and fill back up.


For live plants, you can either use the PP solution and soak them for 2-4 hours, then deactivate, or give them a bleach dip at 1:19 for 1-3 minutes before then rinsing them and soaking for 10 minutes in dechlorinated water..

You'll need to cycle again for whichever method you disinfect with, whether or not the two I have mentioned. I know it's a pain to do, but it should make sure that if there were any contagions in the tank, that they are gone

Hope this helps!

 

Thank you!

 

also...if you can find 91% isopropoline (?)...I think that is the word..sry...alcohol, spray everything down with that and let it air dry. Bleach and alcohol combo will kill mycos too (I treat like I still have it ).

 

Isopropyl alcohol.... It's also called "rubbing alcohol" and isopropanol. It's readily available as a 70% solution in many stores.

90% isopropyl alcohol is available at pharmacies like Walmart.

 

The snail is a potential worry depending on how the dropsy began, especially given how difficult a disease it is to treat and the poor prognosis. A few weeks of QT may bring peace of mind... You could also use potassium permanganate as a disinfectant.

 

I'd go with the bleach/alcohol treatment...PP doesn't kill mycos....from now on...I'll use what kills THAT crap

 

Wouldn't PP/dylox 80/formalin/etc. kill mycos but only at a much higher (and sustained) concentration than traditionally used? I know formalin resistance is a pretty new topic, but I've seen it myself first hand when used with treatment for parasites on livebearers. I've read of breeders/resalers that when they encounter possible mycos that they do not bother treating in many situations and generally euthanize due to prognosis and they use chlorine bleach formulations far stronger than what is traditionally seen in the household setting at a point in which it's practically caustic to skin...some go as far to even throw out items used on those tanks, which to me makes sense or at least very controlled containment of what products make contact with what water given you cannot autoclave most fish products. When we bred, QT and sick tanks were in a separate room and all equipment was marked with red/orange markers to indicate not to use them elsewhere, and hand disinfectants were high concentration alcohol + a soap with PCMX.

Also, I would assume snails would potentially be able to transmit given the dormancy period which can be pretty long, correct? If so, the snail is probably not safe to combine with other fish even tho fish may not develop the disease for months or years, but a period of stress could change all of that. Given the potential snails have to transmit disease to fish and humans, we generally QT'd plants and nuked tanks with dylox 80 if we saw snails.