Bleach and Vineger in mixing tank???

[Sabreman0001]

I tried to clean my 125gallon SW mixing tank with 1 gallon of vineger and 1 gallon of bleach.....I filled the tank up to the top and left it in the sun for two days.....I then proceeded to clean all the Reef Crystals crud off the inside....wetvaced it out...then filled and emptied it 3 times with the garden hose.......I then put it back in place....and proceeded to make SW......did a decent water change....now everything is dying in the tank.....all my parameters are spot on.....This may be an obvious question, but is it possible that the bleach leached into the plastic and is releasing back into the SW when I mix in it???? Can I ever fix it if so? or should I just put it out to the curb???? Either way I am going to run to Tractor Supply in the morning and buy another one........ugggghhh.....any opinions are much appreciated....

 

[jschulzpt]

When in doubt throw it out. I trust vinegar, but not bleach personally.

 

[Sabreman0001]

Well this was a costly mistake....so far I have thrown out about 15 ACAN frags.....and still counting....

 

[bertoni]

If the bleach is the problem, some Prime or other neutralizer should help. I hope the bleach and vinegar were used separately.

Bleach won't leach out of plastic, but there might have been enough on the surface to cause problems. We tend to recommend a chlorine neutralizer after such treatments for this reason.

 

[Sabreman0001]

Nope...I put the vinegar in with the bleach.....probably a dumb idea......I assume from your post this was not a good idea????

 

[bertoni]

Combining vinegar and bleach releases chlorine gas, which can be very damaging to lungs and mucous membranes. It does make for a stronger disinfectant.

 

[Sabreman0001]

Well its a good thing that I let it sit before I got near it......do you think I should scrap this or just put a bunch of prime in it?????

 

[PAZE]

So you drained everything and let it sit, and it was dry when you put it all back?, I think you have a problem eleswhere, that bleech is long gone, and Ive never heard of it staying in plastic. I wash everything with bleech, guys are washing there filter socks with bleech, so I think your problem is elsewhere.

 

[redfishsc]

Anytime I start seeing oddball behavior after a water change, I hit the tank with a dose of Prime or Amquel+ to eliminate any chlorine or ammonia that might have made its way into the system.

I also test all the parameters, which you have done.

I cannot say for sure what is causing your problem, but I would dose with Prime.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14979319#post14979319 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
Combining vinegar and bleach releases chlorine gas, which can be very damaging to lungs and mucous membranes. It does make for a stronger disinfectant.

I knew about the chlorine gas, but I did not know about it making a stronger disinfectant. What chemical is produced this way?

 

[HighlandReefer]

Why People Mix Bleach and Vinegar
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2009/02/02/why-people-mix-bleach-and-vinegar.htm

From this articel:

"What Happens When Bleach and Vinegar Are Mixed

Chlorine bleach contains sodium hypochlorite or NaOCl. Because bleach is sodium hypochlorite in water, the sodium hypochlorite in bleach actually exists as hypochlorous acid:

NaOCl + H2O ¡ê HOCl + Na+ + OH-

Hypochlorous acid is a strong oxidizer. This is what makes it so good at bleaching and disinfection. If you mix bleach with an acid, chlorine gas will be produced. For example, if you mix bleach with toilet bowl cleaner, which contains hydrochloric acid:

HOCl + HCl ¡ê H2O + Cl2

Chlorine gas attacks mucous membranes, such as your eyes, throat, and lungs and can kill you, so causing that reaction isn't in your best interest. If you mix bleach with another acid, such as the acetic acid found in vinegar, you get essentially the same result:

2HOCl + 2HAc ¡ê Cl2 + 2H2O + 2Ac- (Ac : CH3COO)

There is an equilibrium between the chlorine species that is influenced by pH. When the pH is lowered, as by adding toilet bowl cleaner or vinegar, the ratio of chlorine gas in increased. When the pH is raised, the ratio of hypochlorite ion is increased. Hypochlorite ion is a less efficient oxidizer than hypochlorous acid, so some people will intentionally lower the pH of bleach to increase the oxidizing power of the chemical, even though chlorine gas is produced as a result.

What You Should Do Instead

Don't poison yourself! Rather than increasing the activity of the bleach by adding vinegar to it, just buy fresh bleach! Chlorine bleach has a shelf life. This is particularly true if your bleach has been hanging around for several months. It's far safer for you to buy fresh bleach than to risk releasing a chemical weapon on yourself by mixing bleach with another chemical. You can use bleach and vinegar for cleaning, just make sure you rinse before switching products."

 

[bertoni]

I would rinse the tank thoroughly and use a bunch of Prime. Bleach doesn't evaporate entirely, so waiting isn't enough.

 

[Sabreman0001]

Update....I made some SW in a different mixing tank....did a significant water change with that water and added a dose of prime to the tank.....everything seems to be turning around in the display....

as for the mixing tank...I have it filled with water with a 4x prime dosage....I plan to drain it tonight...run about two to three fills and empties....then fill it again with another overdose of Amquil+....then repeat the fill and empty routine in another day or so.....then fill it with RO/SW and pray that I solved the problem....