# Bleach



## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

I have just treated a whole bunch of holey and volcanic rock in a mixture of water and beach to remove the algae from the rocks
I have done this before with the holey rock and just rinsed with water after and then just let them dry for a week or 2 before putting them back in

Is this a safe practice?

I believe the bleach eventually dries off the rocks and then the rocks can be put back in the tanks

any thoughts


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

You should be fine going about it the way you described. Just be sure that there is no scent of bleach whatsoever before adding the rock back into the tank.


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## Fishnut71 (Dec 7, 2014)

I've learned this lesson the hard way. Soaked some rocks I found with bleach, rinsed it well, soaked in clean water for 2 days. Still end up with enough bleach residue on the rocks to kill my baby small mouth bass once I placed it into the tank.

Now, I always soak in new water, but with addition of dechlorinator to neutralize any bleach residue.


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

Thanks for that

I plan to add extra precautions by letting the rocks sit in sun for a week or so and then soak in clean water with some prime and then dry again

Hopefully that will eliminate any presence of bleach


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Just a thought... Plain White Vinegar is less toxic and still gets the job done...


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

what ratio vinegar to water?


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

plug said:


> what ratio vinegar to water?


I had some actual different kinds of coral from a reef tank of an acquaintance. It sat outside in the sun for 2 years, and was supposedly bleached once, but I have no way to know that for sure.

Anyway, I took a 5 gallon bucket, poured 3 gallons of white vinegar into it, maybe 1 gallon of water, and soaked the pieces for about 30 minutes each, rinsed, and then soaked in another 5 gallon bucket with Seachem SAFE. Yes, the corals did bubble some, but I haven't had any trouble with them. They look great, and probably are part of the reason my pH holds rock solid at 8.2.


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## elbmek (Jul 9, 2015)

I have a couple of back areas where nothing will grow for some reason, so I installed some plastic plants, does the job but have to clean them regularly because of algae. I sink 'plant' in a bucket of bleach/water for couple of hours, job done. Then I sink plant in fresh water for a while before thoroughly rinsing, no bad effects on fish, thankfully. I have been told this is due to too much light. I have my lighting on a timer, on at approx 1200 hrs and, was, off at 2200 hrs, knocked this back to 2000 hrs.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I've soaked every rock that's ever gone into my tanks in bleach before putting them in and never had a problem. I even soak hardier plants in a 20:1 bleach solution to make sure I kill any snails and eggs.

After rinsing off the rock when it comes out of the bleach solution it helps to soak in a container of water with lots of dechlorinator (i.e. Prime). Once the rock is dry and there's no more bleach smell, it should be good to go.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

zimmy said:


> I've soaked every rock that's ever gone into my tanks in bleach before putting them in and never had a problem. I even soak hardier plants in a 20:1 bleach solution to make sure I kill any snails and eggs.


Me too. Not only the rocks, but the tank, substrate, heaters, and any hard filter parts.


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