Other Turtle Discussion :: Tank cleaning

[MrRedmanbhs]

Just a thought I had earlier today and wanted to get everyone else's two cents on it.
I have a swimming pool and to keep algea from growing we put chlorine in it (also helps to keep other nasty things out of the pool). Now, I'm not suggesting that I throw some chlorine in the tank with the turtles, but I'm wondering if I soaked the turtle dock and some other tank decorations in a bucket mixed with chlorine, would this be ok? I'm thinking if i let it sit for an hour or two it may be able to get some of the algea that I can't scrub off. Any thoughts?

[DavidY]

If it's rigid plastic you could soak it in a diluted bleach solution for maybe 20 minutes or so. Then try scrubbing it clean. Make sure to flush it several times with fresh water. You want to make sure to get all the chlorine off before you put it back in the tank. You could also let it soak in fresh water with some conditioner after rinsing it, since the conditioner will quickly remove the residual chlorine. You just want to be careful not to use chlorine on porous materials where it could soak deep into it and slowly leach out into the tank later. I wonder if a strong vinegar solution would be effective against algae? It's a non-toxic liquid that is easier to rinse off and less harmful to the turtles.

[marisa]

White vinegar has made cleaning algae easier for me (when I've decided to clean it).

Bleach contains chlorine, so you'd be getting the same effect using bleach as opposed to the chlorine you initially suggested. I've used diluted bleach on everything from plastic to corkbark. You need to rinse repeatedly, and it's good to let it airdry for about 24 hours.

[MrRedmanbhs]

good thoughts. I think I'll try the white vinegar in a few weeks when I do the next cleaning.