the mineral deposits on the side of the tank. People will put it on and let it sit a bit before scrubbing with a paper towel or plastic pot scrubber. Some of those marks on the glass are actually etched into the glass. Nothing can get those out.
Vinegar is a mild acid, measuring about 4. I don't know that it would dissolve any harmful critters. Most bacteria certainly couldn't live or at least reproduce at that acid a pH. Bleach, pH of 12, is a fearsome base, very alkaline, with that very high pH and it does dissolve dissident organisms.
Vinegar can be used to neutralize any chlorine residual after bleaching and rinsing. Your tank smells a little like a pickle. ;) One could probably fill the tank one more time with warmish water. Just before that last fill, put in a little baking soda in (pH of only 8).
If there is any suspicion that the fish died of Fish TB (Mycobacterium of some sort, not the species which attacks human lungs) after the bleaching, one party suggested rubbing down the tank, soaking everything else, in rubbing alcohol. Evidentially the cell membranes of Mycobacterium are so tough, they resist the bleach, but collapse in the presence of the alcohol. That is one tough bacteria!
All the best!
uncle (still not a chemist) scott
[ Parent ]
Immediate Help
