# "Nuking" a tank properly?



## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

in about a month or 2, I'll be retiring my "algaescape" tank. It used caldophora algae extensively, but I do not want clado in the new design. Likely, the whole tank is "contaminated" (filter, gravel, wood, plants).

Any suggestions on how to deal with it? I was thinking:

1) moveall livestock to a "bucket tank" for a day or two
2) add maybe 4 1.5L bottles of H2O2 (30g tank) and mix the soil well. (I can probably just ad a 0.5L bottle of 30%H2O2 from the lab LOL)
3) cycle for a day with UV steralizer on
4) massive (2 ~100%) WC


Think this will steralize the tank of clado? Mind you, I will leave the wood in the tank during this process since I want to use it in the next scape.


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## AZFIsh1 (Dec 29, 2004)

potassium permanganate at high enough strength will do it. But anything that isnt completely sterile might bring the stuff right back in


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

that will also turn the silicone and wood purple LOL


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## Maurici (May 31, 2004)

Hi.
This is radical. Well, I clearly understand you are very tired of the recalcitrant Cladophora. I'm thinking in an other drastic method: to put in enough concentrated lye; wood will turn white, but the natural color is easy to recover if there is no over-exposure to the product.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

You can do the potassium permanganate dip in a bucket like you first suggested. I doubt it would turn the wood purple if exposed for only an hour or so. Even if it did, it would eventually come out.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

I'd just remove the plants/fish, bomb, do the routine you suggest.
Vacuum the gravel good also.

Clean things first, bleach any non living equipment you can pull out, clean filters etc .......then bomb with H2O2 etc.

I'd not go too heavy with it, you don't need that much death, just enough to kill the algae. 

Any strong oxidizer will work, permangnate, bleach, H2O2 etc.
Copper also. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## aquaverde (Feb 9, 2004)

I've used Clorox to do this before, and it just worked. I would prefer something safer like H2O2, but can't vouch for its effectiveness.


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