Cleaning PVC hiding spots in QT

[emcmilla]

I just wondered what you guys use for cleaning pvc pipe hiding spots in your QT when doing the TTM? Is bleach okay?

 

[laga77]

I dip mine in boiling water.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

I just soak mine in super hot water along with everything else in the QT in a 5 gal bucket then let it dry thoroughly.

 

[Yellow Eyes]

I was under the impression you could just let everything dry out for >24 hours and that was sufficient to kill the parasite. Tagging along to see what everyones opinion is.

 

[emcmilla]

Oh. I had read that too but then I thought it needed to be sterilized. I used a really mild bleach solution. I hope this is okay. I guess I figured "sterilizing" would mean more than just letting it dry out...I could definitely be wrong though

 

[jbvdhp]

Wash and soak in plain water and let air dry for a day or two

 

[ThRoewer]

I was under the impression you could just let everything dry out for >24 hours and that was sufficient to kill the parasite. Tagging along to see what everyones opinion is.

Drying salty items is a very unreliable thing - the salt keeps it from drying fast and usually retains some residual moisture.
Also, even if you wash it in freshwater, you just need to have one crack where a drop of water is trapped and all was for nothing.
Boiling everything or soaking it in really hot water (>50°C) for at least an hour is safer and faster.

 

[Deinonych]

I soak all equipment in bleach for 24 hours, then dry thoroughly. Bleach is safe as long as the equipment is dry before you use it again.

 

[Spar]

i simply wash it off with normal temp water in the sink, then let it dry. but, i do this immediately after the transfer, so it gives the items 72 hours to completely dry and stay dry for 24 of the hours. if i was doing <2 day transfers I would likely add bleach to the solution.

 

[emcmilla]

I didn't realize you could do 2 day transfers (you mean for TTM?). That's good to know. I guess as long as it's done before the 72 mark. Does this mean it can be done at any time during the day, or does it still have to be in the morning?

 

[Spar]

Cleaning PVC hiding spots in QT

I didn't realize you could do 2 day transfers (you mean for TTM?). That's good to know. I guess as long as it's done before the 72 mark. Does this mean it can be done at any time during the day, or does it still have to be in the morning?

You can do hourly transfers as well just comes down to ensuring you kill off all the cysts on any equipment... IMO the 24 hours dry part is critical on top of the other options (bleach etc). And you need the total number of days to be 12 without ever going over near 72 hours between.

Time of day doesn't matter for TTM. Morning will just catch a different wave of jumping parasites as they tend to jump off at night, but they all jump off within 7 days regardless.

 

[Yellow Eyes]

So what is the best way to clean the tank. I have a transfer tomorrow, my first, and was originally just going to let it dry over the next 3 days. Should I drain it, then pour a few pots of boiling water in it?

 

[emcmilla]

Ok that is helpful. My fiance had transferred the wrasse at 5:45am. I am glad I don't have to get up before then. I will do it the night before. The equipment has been empty since Saturday (I figured cleaning it right after the transfer was the best way to go).

 

[Newsmyrna80]

So what is the best way to clean the tank. I have a transfer tomorrow, my first, and was originally just going to let it dry over the next 3 days. Should I drain it, then pour a few pots of boiling water in it?

Boiling water is not recommended in tank because it can weaken the silicone.

 

[Spar]

So what is the best way to clean the tank. I have a transfer tomorrow, my first, and was originally just going to let it dry over the next 3 days. Should I drain it, then pour a few pots of boiling water in it?

best way? keeping it dry for over 24 hours.

if you want to double that up with an additional step (just to be safe) then bleach solution is the generally accepted best next option to go along with drying. many many people do the bleach + dry approach. i personally just do the 24 hours (actually i end up doing 72 hours) dry approach, without bleach.

 

[firemountain]

I clean my heater, tank, and pvc elbow, with a mild bleach solution and rinse. l then let my pvc and heater sit overnight in a weak vinegar solution. Rinse and dry for 24 hours. While the vinegar solution may not be necessary, I use it to just neutralize any residual bleach.

 

[emcmilla]

@ firemountain...interesting I didn't know vinegar neutralizes bleach! That's definitely somethng good to know. I wonder if it's any kind of vinegar or just white?

 

[scottwhitson]

After we transfer our fish we pour about a cup of bleach into the tank they were just taken out of and leave all the equipment in there (power head, heater, thermometer, PVC hiding spots etc..) for a day then rinse and dry for the next transfer no issues so far.

 

[Deinonych]

@ firemountain...interesting I didn't know vinegar neutralizes bleach! That's definitely somethng good to know. I wonder if it's any kind of vinegar or just white?

Vinegar should NOT be used to neutralize bleach. Vinegar reacts with the hypochlorite ion in bleach (actually hypochlorous acid in solution). Hypochlorous acid will release gaseous chlorine (poison) in a low pH solution. Best way to neutralize bleach is to use sodium thiosulfate (found in Prime) or just let it dry. When dried, the only residue from bleach is sodium chloride, aka table salt.

NaOCl + H2O ↔ HOCl + Na+ + OH-

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

 

[emcmilla]

hmm. interesting to note. I will not use vinegar as a neutralize bleach