General Care Discussion :: Cleaning the tank?

[Danny]

Hi, I just recently got a 20 gallon tank from my friend for my RES, but he keeps lizards, snakes, and other animals. So I'm not too sure what was in it before he gave it to me, but I figured I should just clean it again just to make sure it's safe for my turtles! So I was wondering what I should clean it with, I've read bleach or low % Hydrogen Peroxide, but was wondering if there were other methods? I'll be getting my order of heater, lights, and everything else tomorrow whenever the shipment comes, so I just wanted to clean it up tonight. Also is it just normal bleach?

[jenaero]

I know it's regular bleach but a very diluted solution. I forget what the percentage is. I'm sure Marisa will pop in and let you know.

[CountryGirl68]

The diluted solution is 1:10 - one part bleach to 10 parts water.

[steve]

Make sure it is a glass aquarium. There are some tanks that are not made to hold water.

[Danny]

Yup it's a glass tank and we tested it out to make sure it could hold water. Thank's for the help! it will be spot clean now! heheh

[Danny]

Oh I was also wondering what affects normal sanitizers had on the tank or the turtles health, ie. soap and such cleaners? Is it harder to thoroughly clean and leaves residue or what?

[missibsu]

Soaps can very easily leave residue behind that you can't see. I've heard where soap can make your turtle very sick or even lead to it's death, but then I've also heard that this isn't true.

[scripta_elegans]

I would use hydrogen peroxide 3% instead of bleach. You can get it in this % in the first aid section. It is way less toxic, kills a wider spectrum of microorganisms, and breaks down in water. Just be sure to wash it out really well with hot water afterward.

[marisa]

I use 2 oz of bleach to a gallon of water and have rinsed very well afterward (I let the tank air dry overnight if possible) when disinfecting tanks and have had no problems. Make sure you clean any visible gunk off first if there's any.

[amazingcc]

I also prefer to clean my tank w/Hydrogen Peroxide, but either will do the job. Rinse VERY thoroughly w/hot water, regardless of what you use for cleaning!

[daredevilgirl013]

Yeah the rule is, if you can still smell the bleach, you haven't gotten it all out of the tank yet.

[CV Cream]

Would anti-bactieial liquid soap work as well?

[amazingcc]

You shouldn't use anything w/soap on your tank, since it's very hard to detect any left-over residue. It could make your turts very sick!

[CV Cream]

I think i know what probubly caused the illness. Ever since a month ago, each week i changed the water. I never cleaned the tank with any kinda of cleaner, bleach, peroxide, etc. I just wiped it off with a paper towel. Stupid of me. But at least today i just thorally cleaned it w/ peroxide, taking over an hour. This was most likey the cause of her RI, right?

[CountryGirl68]

I didn't think you need to do a full tank cleaning like that every water change. I thought that should be done every couple of months.

How often do y'all do a full tank cleaning/disinfecting with your turtles? Now that I have a RES, I'm curious as to how often I'll need to do this.