It's always best to go with white vinegar if you can. But, if you really need to disinfect, use a diluted bleach solution (bleach and water) and rinse it a bunch of times. Then rinse it with conditioned water a few times.

 

I vote bleach every time.

 

Hmm...well now i still dont know lol...

 

I just got a used reptile tank too. I'm going to go with vinegar, but that's just because it's a super heavy 55 gallon which would make it really hard for me rinse out well if I had used bleach. I still plan on rinsing, just not nearly as rigorously. Otherwise I would vote for the bleach.

 

Bleach reacts with light and leaves no residue other that NaCl.

 

and NaCl is removed with dechlorinator, right?

 

No, NaCl is just salt. Just like, aquarium salt. Washes off real simple.

 

Oh okay. So how long to I need to leave a tank out in the sun after it has been bleached and rinsed?

 

Hmm, 2-3 days should be fine.. Then a quick splashing.

 

A concentrated water conditioner like prime can also be used to make the tank safe if you need it in use sooner (a helpful tidbit for disinfecting QT tanks).

 

Wouldn't leaving it out in the sun that long possibly damage the sealant in the corners?

 

It's not very long. It takes a while for the silicone to dry out. If anything, just leave it in a brighter room in the house and avoid the direct sun.

 

Is the thing about Prime true? ^^^

 

Oh when you said "bleach reacts with light" i read light as sunlight lol... so you were saying just leave it in an open/well ventilated area for 2-3 days? And extra prime to be safe...