Bleach Sanitation

[morpheus]

I recently got a used 75gal setup. i am almost done refinishing the cabinet now, and should be ready to start filling the tank over the weekend.

I was given a bag of plastic plants with it and just want to ensure they are sanitized well. dont know how long since the decor was last used, and since i will have cichlids in there, live plants probably wont work well at all.

i was thinking just soaking the decor in a bucket with very hot water and bleach. Once the soak is done, wash well with hot water only and let it air dry. Finally soak in a bucket of heavily dosed water with dechlorinater before putting in tank

Questions:
what is the recommended ratio of bleach per gal of water?
how long do i soak in bleach/water mix?
and in conditioned water after air dried?

i assume if the bleach smell is gone everything is fine. i just never sanitized in this way before so there could be pitfalls i am missing.

or you can recommend a different way to sanitize

[originalhandy]

Ive seen plastic plants melt in hot water, so don't get too hot.

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[morpheus]

Ive seen plastic plants melt in hot water, so don't get too hot.

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well some are plastic and some are that felt material...but nowhere near boiling temp :)

[crazy42bmx]

You'll be fine, soak for like 12 hrs and then rinse well, faucet hot is plenty hot enough. Careful on some of the ones that aren't plastic as yes they can break down. So maybe a shorter soak period.

[morpheus]

You'll be fine, soak for like 12 hrs and then rinse well, faucet hot is plenty hot enough. Careful on some of the ones that aren't plastic as yes they can break down. So maybe a shorter soak period.

Thanks D...how much bleach per gal do you recommend?

[crazy42bmx]

Ehhhh, soak in a 5gal bucket and like two cups should do it. Upon putting them in the tank u can give then a tank bath in sone already established tank water. Just to ensure their clean, or a complete sun bake works well too

[Lydia]

I always clean everything with bleach...fake plants, rocks, etc. ! Soak in 5 gallon bucket with water/bleach solution for a few hours- a cup or two of bleach (I don't measure - just a good pour into the bucket) . I do it outside right out of the hose - I don't use hot water.. Then I dump, rinse bucket well, spray everything well. Then put back in bucket and soak with clean water and water conditioner. Then I put them in the sun to dry (sun bake) and voila! The sun bake til dry will remove any traces of chlorine. Once dry you should not be able to detect a bleach smell at all. Been doing this for 20+ years....have fun!