# accidental Bleach in Aquarium!! Help!!!



## marisha25 (Feb 26, 2012)

Hey all, I have a 55 gallon tank, that currently has just water and sand in it. It has been running for 3 days with 2 filters. 
Over the past 3 days, i put Seachem Prime in it, and Stress Zyme. 
Today i put Seachem Stability in it, and was going to start Fishless Ammonia Cycling.
But my bf wanted to help, and did not understand me correctly.

He accidentally put 3ml of Bleach in the tank!!!! He measured it with a medicine dropper.

So what do you think i should continue with starting the cycling process??

Do you think that during the 2-3 weeks, that the tank will be cycling, the Bleach will evaporate?? Or the filters will get it out?

Or should i start over??
Dump the Water and Sand, and Put in new water, and buy new sand??

Thanks for your help!


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## dsouthworth (Sep 7, 2011)

Bleach is concenrated bleach. 
Here's what i would do.
1) double dose the tank with Prime (or some other dechlor) let it run for an hour or so
2)drain tank
3)fill back up, double dose with Prime.

Then start again. After all this, i would then put the water into my beta tank (this guy is my dummy. i love him. But i swear, if i wanna know if something is 'aquarium safe', i stick in in the beta tank for a week).

Don't be too worried.

NOW, if this is a scented bleach i have no idea. This is all assuming its a clear, clean pure bleach.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Dechlorinator will deal with it, as dsouthworth said. No need to rinse or replace anything. Just run the system for a while after dosing, and then do a partial water change. You've just super-chlorinated the tank, and no harm done since it's a new setup. This is exactly how you'd sterilize a hospital/quarantine setup or any tank suspected of harboring disease organisms.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

There is often too much concern about bleach. It is not pure chlorine but just a 5-6% mix. You added 3ml of a 5% solution to 55 gallons of water. That is not very much when you work it out to PPM. I didn't but it would be pretty small! Your tap water chlorine routinely varies in the amount of chlorine it has so what you have done is pretty much got your tank filled with tap water that is a little stronger than usual. It will likely slow the bactera building and cycle down but once you do the dechlor routine, you will not notice anything.

And yes, if given some time the bleach will just gas off into the air.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The only concern here is that if ammonia had been added to the tank already, the added chlorine would have created chloramine, which won't gas off. A little dechlor will take care of the problem without any water changes. 3 mil is such a small amount in a tank that size it is really of little consequence.


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## dsouthworth (Sep 7, 2011)

BillD said:


> The only concern here is that if ammonia had been added to the tank already, the added chlorine would have created chloramine, which won't gas off. A little dechlor will take care of the problem without any water changes. 3 mil is such a small amount in a tank that size it is really of little consequence.


I'm pretty sure he added bleach when they were goin to start the cycle... I could have rad it wrong tho.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

While we think of chloramine as being chlorine with ammonia added, I don't think it as simple as just having them together in the tank. I believe making chloramine is a much more complex process.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Regarding the formation of chloramine, see this document from the Jefferson County Water Authority. Go to the 5th question down, or just go to first question on page 2.

Note is says 'free' ammonia. If either the pH or temp is elevated, then a lot of the ammonia may be bound up and not available to form chloramine. So, seems it will possibly form some, but hard to say how much and in what form exactly. Regardless, the dechlorinator will deal with it whether it's in chlorine or chloramine form. See also The Skeptical Aquarist - Conditioners.


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