Sterilization Protocol?

[Beanie Seagus]

So as I continue to try and deal with this stomach parasite going around my German Blue Ram tank, it got me thinking... is the gear i'm using to clean that tank, do water changes, and move the german blue rams around now dead to the world? I certainly don't feel safe using it on other non-contaminated fish... at least not for the moment...

So this leads me to my question... how are you guys sterilizing your gear?

Specifically: Siphons, Buckets, Cleaning Scrubbies, nets?

Do you use a particular sterilization agent? Or do you just rely on the old, "let the gear dry out, and then anything on it will die out" idea?

Obviously this whole sterilization thing becomes more and more important as you have more and more tanks and or more expensive fish.

So again... what is your sterilization protocol?

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

There is something fish specific out there, but I don't remember the name.

Bleach is always reliable and readily available. Just make sure the equipment is rinsed off well before its next use.

 

[chriscoli]

I've used netsoak in the past as well as a saturated salt solution (thanks to Frank's advice). Drying does eliminate most issues unless it's something that has a resting spore or cyst state that can resist drying. Use bleach sparingly because it will affect many plastics and cause them to yellow and break down faster than they otherwise would. I do use it occasionally though.

If you're really concerned about spreading a disease, you can invest in separate equipment for each tank. Just remember that you (your hands and arms) can also be a source of cross-contamination between tanks as well.

I sort of split the difference with nets....I have many and if I use a particular net in a tank, it gets set aside for the day to thoroughly dry. I grab a different net if I need one in a different tank that same day. Every now and then I give them all a bath in netsoak.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

I use saturated salt solution to sterilize tanks and equipment. For a large tank you can skip rinsing since the salt remaining is not much but for equipment, like nets and sponges, I rinse well. Saturated salt solution kills most stuff in minutes, though I soak nets and sponge filters in it until I need to use them. Saturated salt solution can be used with a rag, just dip the rag in the solution and wipe down the inside of the tank or the equipment. You can dip your hands in it to sterilize you hands and arms.
The procedure for prep of saturated salt solution is on my aquaticlifefarm.com website if you want to read the full article or prepare the solution.

 

[Beanie Seagus]

I use saturated salt solution to sterilize tanks and equipment. For a large tank you can skip rinsing since the salt remaining is not much but for equipment, like nets and sponges, I rinse well. Saturated salt solution kills most stuff in minutes, though I soak nets and sponge filters in it until I need to use them. Saturated salt solution can be used with a rag, just dip the rag in the solution and wipe down the inside of the tank or the equipment. You can dip your hands in it to sterilize you hands and arms.
The procedure for prep of saturated salt solution is on my aquaticlifefarm.com website if you want to read the full article or prepare the solution.

Frank,

Thank you so much for that article. I am already working on putting together a sterilization bucket for my equipment, and will soon be preparing a salt solution dip for some of my sick german blue rams. How long a salt dip would you recommend for so smaller German Blue rams?

I was also wondering if it safe to dip plants in a salt solution? Will that effectively kill parasites and bacteria on them, but also not manage to kill the plant?

 

[Beanie Seagus]

I'm also curious about sponge filters. Can an SSS solution also be used on sponge filters to clear them of any nasty parasites?

 

[Frank Cowherd]

Yes, sponge filters should be cleaned prior to putting them in SSS. I put them under the running faucet and squeeze and shake until most of the debris or dark colored water no longer come out of them. THen put the cleaned sponge in the SSS and let it sit for an hour or overnight or until you are ready to use it. Then let it drain back into the bucket and then rinse it under tap water. This will give you a sterlized sponge but it may still have a smell. I do not worry about the smell, Just use it. If you want to get rid of the smell, put it in a clorox solution of 1 cup Clorox and a gallon or two of water. give it an hour then rinse and rinse and rinse and use. Clorox will however cause the deterioration of the sponge -- it will get softer and softer the more times you Clorox it.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

On the timing for dips. I have learned not to use full strength SSS on fish. You are better off using SSS diluted to sea water concentration so about 1 part SSS and 4 or 5 parts water (1 pint SSS and 4 or 5 pints of water). Big fish like koi or gold fish can stand 3 to 5 minutes, but very small fish like tetras and barbs can stand 10 to 30 seconds. If the fish is really small use 1 part SSS and 6 parts water. Then watch the fish carefully and leave it in a net in the SSS solution. The fish will float in the SSS and try to swim down. That is OK, but when the fish starts to jerk, take it out and put in fresh tank water. Do not wait for the fish to jerk if you get to 10 seconds on small fish. This removes only external parasites, and also does remove them from gills and mouth. Sometimes the fish will look dead in the fresh water, I think it is the shock of the fresh to salt to fresh, but usually they will recover in a minute or so. However if there are lots of parasites, particularly in the gills, the fish will not survive.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

Plants should never be put in SSS or diluted SSS. They will not survive. If you want to treat plants get some Alum. It is what is used to make pickles and is available in a lot of grocery stores. I fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, add a tablespoon of alum. Stir it up. Then add your plants. Stir occasionally. If you have a gallon of plants, you are better to treat them in batches. Snails should fall off and go to teh bottom. Snail eggs can survive this treatment, so you really have to look closely and remove snail eggs. Most other things like worms and dragon fly larva and aquatic insect larva and other microorganisms will not survive. I usually use and hour or two. You can go overnight but this can lead to loosing some of the more tender leaves. You can experiment with dosage and timing. Search the internet for alum and aquatic plant treatment. You should find other dosages and timings. Basically if you use two tablespoons in the five gallons of water the timing should be less. Maybe with three tablespoons you could dip for 15 minutes and that would be enough.
Be sure to rinse to remove alum so you do not transfer to a tank with fish or shrimp in it. Shrimp are probably very sensitive to alum.

 

[Beanie Seagus]

As a follow up to this thread, I'm now looking into buying an electric water pump siphon to deal with my tanks.

However, I'm now interested in sterilizing the pump (and for that matter the hose its connected to) before i use it in other tanks, and before i use the tubing to put water back into the tanks.

To that end, I was wondering if electric pumps and tubing are ok with handling super saturated salt solutions, or if they will corrode or break down when exposed to it?

I fully intend to rinse the pump and the hoses with fresh water after i've disinfected them, but will that be enough to keep things running smoothly?

For reference, the pump i am planning on buying is the $48.00 one from jehmco listed on this page http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html

I've also called Jehmco and they said this pump is rated for use in both fresh and salt water, however they are saying no one has ever asked about its use in a super saturated salt solution, and thus they couldn't speak to its capacity to handle it.

Frank and others, your thoughts regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated.

This is also somewhat urgent as i'm trying to piggy back onto the PVAS group order from Jehmco, which i must do by this wednesday!

 

[Frank Cowherd]

It is not super saturated, it is saturated salt solution (SSS).

Pumping with a mag drive type pump will not harm the pump or the tubing. I am not sure about direct drive pumps since they rely on packing to prevent the fluid being pumped from getting into the motor. You could dilute SSS to half the salt content if you are concerned. Diluting with an equivalent amount of water will still give you an effective sterilization. The real problem may be if you get any salt crystals in the pump. If you use rock salt, the crystals are big enough that they could harm the blades of the pump.

You can also use Clorox to sterilize the pump and tubing. For used equipment I prefer Clorox since it also removes algae and molds from the inside of the clear plastic tubing. Set up a 5 gallon pail of water with the pump in the bottom and the tubing coming out and clamp the open end of the tubing so it returns the water to the bucket. Then start the pump and make sure it operates so no water splashes all over the place. Once the water is circulating as you want it, add a cup of Clorox to the bucket. Let it stir overnight. Then replace the Clorox water with fresh water to rinse the pump and tubing.
If the mold in the clear plastic tubing is not gone after 24 hours, repeat treatment.