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| | #1 (permalink) | |
| The Wand Geek was here. ;) ![]() | Tank Cleanup Procedures Quote:
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| Golden Moray | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures nice thread, thanks for the write up LEE & posting it Doni
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| | #3 (permalink) |
| Social Darwinism victim | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures Thanks Doni!! Q: If you have a tank that did NOT have copper or meds and has been bone dry for months, is it enough to rinse or is there still the possibility of disease present? I'm guessing the answer is better safe than sorry but I'm wondering how long diseases can survive without water.
__________________ (\_/) (\__/) ( . .) (^.^) (")(") (> <) Bunny and Bunnina have worked things out. Bunny was mistaken after all, Bunnina was not having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang |
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| | #4 (permalink) |
| Achilles Tang | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures Looks like Doni caught up to us. . . kathywithbirds, If the QT didn't get 'shut down' with disease in it, then it should be okay. There are very few (but a couple) of diseases that can withstand drying out. Some, like fungi, bacteria, and viruses can hang around without water, waiting for water to 'reactivate' themselves. Not all fungi, bacteria, and viruses are harmful to marine fishes, but there are some in each group that are. The drying out specifically kills off obligate parasites, flukes, and other pathogens that are very 'susceptible' to unfavorable conditions. If you have a doubt about what was last in the QT, but you know it was used as a marine fish QT, then I'd suggest at least cleaning according to QT Clean Up with Disease. As a microbiologist I am fascinated by the 'tenaciousness' of life. How long can bacteria live, dried out? Did you know that bacteria have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs that were dried out more than 3500 years ago, but when water was added, they resumed their life? Some yeast and other organisms used by the ancient Egyptians buried in the tombs in beer and food containers, were still viable when water was later added, thousands of years after they dried out.
__________________ LEE |
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| | #5 (permalink) |
| Serpent Star | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures I know this is a super old thread, but I had a question about cleaning up a tank that had been used for copper treatments. If I follow the procedure outlined above is the tank then safe to use as a fuge/sump for my DT? Thanks. |
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| | #6 (permalink) |
| Achilles Tang | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures If you follow the cleaning procedure for when the tank is used with a copper medication, then the tank is suitable for invertebrates, or use with any marine life form. So your answer is, 'Yes' assuming the cleaning is done properly.
__________________ LEE |
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| | #8 (permalink) |
| Serpent Star | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures Dragging this one up out of the depths again. Better than starting a new thread on the same subject though. How can you tell if the tank has already been exposed to copper treatments? I have a 29g tank that I was going to convert to a frag tank with a new 20L sump. I've heard somebody say once that the silicone would turn blue if it was used for copper. My tank looks pretty normal, but I am a little paranoid because the silicone does look like it might have the faintest tinge of blue stain. It's still very plainly clear silicone and you can see through it very easily. But my eye tells me there is just a hint of blue in that silicone. So the 64 dollar question is: How dark of a blue stain are we talking about? I'm probably going to go through the procedure anyway, but would still like to know just how stained we are talking about. Would be nice information for myself and other newbs trying to work with free equipment. I'm poor as a church mouse. ![]() Edit: I went back and read the directions again for copper tank clean-up. It keeps using the word "wash" So does that mean we simply wash the tank and rinse? Or does that mean we fill it to the top and let it soak? How long should I leave the bleach solution in the tank? 10 minute wash? Overnight? 30 minutes? Couple hours? And the vinegar clean-up? 10 minute wash? overnight? Couple hours? Thanks
__________________ Water Farmer Extraordinaire Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons; for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. I'm not really a reefer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!! |
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| | #9 (permalink) |
| Achilles Tang | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures There is basically no way to determine if a tank has been exposed to a copper medication/treatment without performing an analysis. This would require a micro analytical procedure, as far as I know. I don't know of any 'home test' method for this. There may be some clues. Sometimes, if it is an all glass aquarium, the sealent may be discolored. But this can be from a variety of different reasons, so it isn't a guarantee. If the sealant is blue in your tank, I'd first suspect the use of Methylene Blue rather than copper. If the sealant is green, I would suspect copper. But as I wrote already, there is no guarantee to this method AND there is no way of telling by how dark the color may be. If in doubt and you still need or want to use it, then clean it as if it had been exposed to copper meds. On the other hand, if you don't plan on putting invertebrates or live rock in the tank, then it should be good to go for a FO marine tank. To your edit questions: "Wash" is meant to convey more than just a 'rinse.' Use a clean/virgin sponge or clean/virgin rag to rub the walls where 'wash' is mentioned. No more time is needed then just the wiping with the sponge or rag. All surface areas must be wiped-rubbed with the sponge or rag.
__________________ LEE |
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| | #10 (permalink) |
| Serpent Star | Re: Tank Cleanup Procedures Thank you. I was planning to use this as a frag tank. It's going to have 1 3-stripe damsel fish and a few snails. I guess I'll try it. The tank was free and the 10g frag tank isn't big enough anymore. I'll just cycle it and then see how a couple zoa frags do for a month. If they are still alive, I'll stock it with a few more corals and see how they do for another month. I've done the vinegar wash - actually it was practically a vinegar soak because I poured a little in the tank with about 1/2g of water. I'm sure it was more like a 1:5 solution instead of the recommended 1:10 solution. The vinegar bottle slipped and I sloshed a whole bunch in the tank - so the heck with it!! Washed it real good with a new sponge. got into all the corners and up under the top rim. Rinsed in hot water - a lot of hot water.Then I did the bleach wash with 1:10 solution. Rinsed in a lot of hot water. Filled it up and let the whole thing sit overnight with tap water up to the top rim. Pumped it out this morning with a powerhead and then started over on the vinegar wash. 1:10 solution this time because I actually measured it out. Lots of rinsing with hot water. Then I did the bleach bath again. More hot rinsing. I dried it with a paper towels and a hair dryer. It's sitting here dry as a bone now. I guess there's nothing left to do - fill 'er up with RO water and salt.
__________________ Water Farmer Extraordinaire Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons; for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. I'm not really a reefer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!! |
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