# Will de-chlorinator work on bleach?



## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi, I was given a rock from a friends old koi pond to put in one of my tanks but as it was too big for any saucepan in the house I soaked it in a bucket of hot tap water with about 5ml of bleach to kill off any nasties that might be living in it.

I've scrubbed it a lot under the hot tap (about 52'c) and its now sitting back in the bucket with fresh hot water, can I use either of my dechlorinators Aquasafe & Easy-Life) to neutralise any remaining bleach residue that might be present? if not what else should I do to make it safe for my fish?

thanks.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I use bleach on a few items in my tanks to clean them thoroughly. I rinse them really good and then as a final step I fill a bowl full of water and put in a full dose of dechlor (a cap full of Prime in my case) and dip the item in there. Not sure if it makes a diff or not, just what I do and never have had an issue. More reassurance than anything I think.


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

Thanks for the help, I'm going to leave it in the bucket with a dose of Easy-Life overnight just to be on the safe side as its a bit late to start re-arranging tanks now anyway. good to know a dip will do though. this method actually seems easier than all that boiling business, I like it *w3


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

i dont bother with bleach as i worry that it wont all be gone! i boil the best i can then scrub then boil then leave out to dry (i asume any water bugs will die if not in water) then scrub again then put in tank. but thats just how i roll


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

zero said:


> i dont bother with bleach as i worry that it wont all be gone! i boil the best i can then scrub then boil then leave out to dry (i asume any water bugs will die if not in water) then scrub again then put in tank. but thats just how i roll



I would have boiled it if I had a pot big enough but its about 1" too wide, I also googled the subject after making my post and found that popping it in the oven at 200' will turn the chlorine to gas, effectively removing any last trace.

Its been in the bucket of Easy-Life all night, but I think I'm going to pop it in the oven for a bit now just to be sure.

Here's the rock in question, I think it should make a lovely backdrop for my little 25l tank, its even got a crevis just begging for a small plant of some kind


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

if its too big i pour boiling water on it in a bucket...know its not the same but its better than nothing. really nice rock, will you post a pic once its in the tank??


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

zero said:


> . really nice rock, will you post a pic once its in the tank??


abbsaloo-loo, I'm really looking forward to a bit of aquascaping today, I might even enter it in the tank of the month, just for sh!ts and giglles mind, I don't expect to win


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

you should, got as much change as every one else of winning!! im always looking forward to aquascaping!!! im so sad....my boyfriends working all day tomorrow so instead of having a relaxing day doing nothing or going shopping ive planned to get up when he does (around 7am) then go get new fish and aquascape 2 of my tanks plus water changes.........i think im slightly addicted to fish keeping!


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

It certainly does seem to be a very addictive hobbly,


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes,dechlor will get rid of bleach 

When i was breeding my splendens,I would have to clean the containers daily for the fishes health(small quarters get dirty quick)I had enough to once a week completly change containers,of which the dirty ones would get scrubbed down in hot water with soap and bleach.Then I would rinse out with twice the amount of dechlor to ensure i get the bleach out.It worked really well as I never lost one fish to the method.


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## ArtyG (Jun 29, 2011)

I have never tried to eliminate chlorine bleach with dechlorinator but I have been using bleach to kill everything for decades. The good news is it rinses clean eventually. When you can no longer smell it in the tank or on the rocks or gravel it's gone. I bleach/nuke the stuff I buy on Craigslist all the time with no problems.


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

As promised, here's a pic of the rock in the tank, i stuck some java fern & a few strands of java moss on it, theres also a few stems from my other tank, but I'm going to get some more plants for this one during the week


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

looks good  what fish are in that tank?


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

zero said:


> looks good  what fish are in that tank?


Thanks, they're Blue Barred Barbs, really nice looking fish when they show their colours, which is apparently effected by mood, and being a shy fish don't sell too well apparently as they dont often look their best in the shop (according to my lfs) 

They were meant to be a good community fish and started well, they did take over the Betta's favorite sleeping spot in the back corner, he chased them away at 1st and there was a bit of nipping from both sides, I figured they would just establish a pecking order but I think he was just too outnumbered, as soon as he chased one out another two would slip in there. I overlooked this at 1st as he had plenty of other spots to go but they then turned a bit too aggresive on the rest of my fish when they started spawning. most effected by this was my Betta who had his fin nipped quite badly and ended up quite reclusive, rarely moving from the top of the water, I wasn't having that so I had to re-house them. 

The Betta never went back into his corner until I removed the plant that had been there and put a completely different type in, even then it took a while for him to get back to his old self again.


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