Tank Question

[Serpentine99]

I was cleaning out a new tank yesterday, and I was using Simple Green, an all purpose cleaner to get some buildup off. Right after I was finished cleaning it my dad told me he heard that if you use cleaner in an tank it becomes unusable for awhile because the chemicals are hard to get out. Is this true? Also how do you guys clean the glass on your Terrariums?
Note: The tank is not in use at the moment.

[Sid]

I use a mild dish detergent. Then rinse with clear water a couple of times and dry it completely.

Sid

[GarterGuy]

Yeh, the problem with that is the residue from some cleaners can be absorbed by the siliconrubber sealant that's used to construct the tank. Best thing is to give it a good flushing with water and sit it out in the sun for a day. The higher temps. will help any leftover cleaners volatilize out of the sealant. I honestly NEVER use any house hold cleaners on my tanks. The only thing I use is something called Quatricide. It's a cleaner disinfectant that sold by BigApple Herp supply that's made for use with animals. Even with that though, I'm very careful to make sure the tank is rinsed out VERY well and dried before reintroducing any critters.

Roy

[Serpentine99]

cool. Thanks Sid and Garter Guy. I didn't even think of that when I started cleaning it. Now I know never to do that again.

[KITKAT]

I use 3 percent bleach.

To make this, put 1 oz of bleach in the bottom of a quart jar. and add 31 oz of water.

Or for those of you who work in liters... 30 ml of bleach in a liter.

3 percent bleach is shown to kill almost every organizm on surfaces after a 20 minute exposure. It is highly water soluble, which means it rinses out well. Finally, it evaporates well, which means any bleach left behind will be gone in a matter of hours.

[CrazyHedgehog]

I use bleach too, but with a little washing up liquid.
.... but not quite as an exact measurement.
A bucket of warm water, a splash of bleach and a tiny drip of washing up liquid.
Rinse well and thoroughly dry before setting back up.

[KITKAT]

I use bleach too, but with a little washing up liquid.
.... but not quite as an exact measurement.
A bucket of warm water, a splash of bleach and a tiny drip of washing up liquid.
Rinse well and thoroughly dry before setting back up.

Be careful that there is no ammonia in your detergent. If you mix detergent with an ammonia component with bleach, you will instantly make ammonium chloride... a very poisonous gas!

[CrazyHedgehog]

Be careful that there is no ammonia in your detergent. If you mix detergent with an ammonia component with bleach, you will instantly make ammonium chloride... a very poisonous gas!

well that should clean the tank!!!

hmmm. not sure but have been cleaning them like that for years the snakes are still here and so am i!!

[KITKAT]

hmmm. not sure but have been cleaning them like that for years the snakes are still here and so am i!!

Then your detergent probably does not have ammonia in it.

[CrazyHedgehog]

to be honest, there is such a tiny amount of both in a large bucket of water that its probably too watered down.