How to use bleach?

[Simland]

I've been told a bleach solution is good for disinfecting salamander terrariums and I have a few questions:

I've read recommendations for 2 concentrations (3% and 5%). I'm assuming this means something along the lines of you add 1 part bleach in 19 parts water, but what about the initial concentration of the bleach. I see adds for bottles of bleach that advertise the contents as being "concentrated", which suggests the initial concentration of the product varies. How do you find out the concentration and how to you take that into account (i.e., what's the normal concentration that was used to make 3% and 5% solutions).

I was also wondering how much dechlorinator should be used in the rinsing water and if its possible for the terrarium to become safe by just letting it sit for a while (since bleach breaks down pretty fast) and, if so, how long that "while" should be.

Should a test be done before introducing the new occupant and, if so, is any chlorine test suitable (e.g. a chlorine test for pools)?

 

[Jennewt]

I think household bleach is a standard concentration. Be sure it's the plain kind, no perfume or other stuff added.

How long it needs to sit... depends on what you are bleaching. I know someone who bleached their gravel, rinsed it well, set up the tank, added a bunch of extra dechlorinator, and put in newts, which died. Because gravel is porous and it takes a while for bleach to dissipate from something like that. For a solid surface, it should rinse clean and be safe in a day or so with plenty of rinsing and extra dechlor.

Yes, a chlorine test for pools might work. It's good enough to detect the amount of chlorine in tap water. If it's the liquid test that turns a yellow color, you can detect very small amounts of chlorine by looking DOWN into the top of the test tube and looking for the slightest trace of yellow color.

 

[Simland]

Thanks. I'm following your advice.

I emptied the bleach solution and refilled with tap water and twice the normal amount of dechlorinator and was surprised to find that this is apparently enough. I'm going to test it again today (with better light condition) before emptying it and putting the substrate in, just to be sure....even though I figure it's probably safer for salamanders than for newts.

 

[Blackbun]

This is a good question to ask. I worked in a lab investigating irradiated seed germination. The issue with this type of seed treatment is that the seeds leak starch (irradiation damages the cell membrane and seed coat) into the external environment which provides a nutrient source for bacteria and fungi which was a concern as these microorganisms were capable of destroying seed viability. We didn't ever use household bleach because it was considered too caustic. Instead we used products, such as Milton's Fluid, intended to sterilse babies' feed bottles etc. The dilution awas 5% and eeds were soaked for ten minutes after which they were rinsed. The result, germination with no fungal or bacterial contamination.

I have used bleach for sterilizing gravel using the same dilution. After rinsing, I leave the gravel to weather for a month or so. I like it to dry out and leave it in full sun. I think one of the best tests is to have a sniff.....
Consider sterilizing the gravel in the oven or microwave....that's what I do!

 

[manderkeeper]

I've done a bit of research on disinfectants. Since bleach is inactivated by organic compounds, you want to make sure you clean first, disinfect second. Once the container has been opened for 2 weeks, it is only half as effective as it initially were but levels off after that. Contact time is also important, so if you're truly trying to disinfect then you'll likely want to leave it soaking for around 20 minutes. Having said all that, as great as bleach is, it is not a cure all and there are things not deactivated by bleach..

 

[Blackbun]

Well manderkeeper, you taught me something today about bleach being unstable and losing its effectiveness. Thank you for your post.
After reading your post, I had a look on the web for interesting things about household bleach! That might sound a bit ott but we do take the product for granted and expect it to work miracles. Here's the simplest, but very informative page.

Sodium Hypochlorite - Molecule of the Month 2011 - HTML-only version

 

[Bellabelloo]

I read that if you use bleach with hot water, it becomes ineffective. I had always used bleach with hot water to clean all sorts of nasty things, it seems that maybe they didn't end up as clean as I had hoped

 

[Blackbun]

Julia you are absolutely right. We take things for granted and make too many assumptions about long held beliefs. I wonder if we should think about some of the products the koi keepers use like Virkon although I don't like the idea of adding anything to the water. Many years back I did run a small uv water steriliser on my tank. Filtered water passed back into the tank via the unit.

Virkon http://www.vetark.co.uk/documents/25_sanitization_for_koi_ponds.pdf

UV sterilisers Aquarium UV Sterilisers and Clarifiers - All Pond Solutions

 

[Simland]

I'm not sure about Virkon. I think its more used by professionals than bleach (not sure at all), but according to the below PDF, bleach actually seems to have an edge. It's just not clear if they're talking about a bleach solution or straight up bleach.

http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Disinfection/Assets/CharacteristicsSelectedDisinfectants.pdf


I'm about to embark on a disinfecting "binge". I have a bunch of used terrariums and equipment to sterilized before welcoming in new arrivals. So, I was wondering if bleach can be used to disinfect plastic terrariums (the small "transport" type terrariums) and regular plastic containers (I use these for quarantine) or if there's any danger associated with that. If it's ok, is there anything to keep in mind?

I'm wondering the same thing about the decorations. Especially fake plants (both plastic and silk) and stuff made out of resin.

What's the safest way to treat gravel (both aquarium and regular type). I heard that boiling rocks can be dangerous because they can explode with significant damage to the surrounding area and unlucky humans if there's trapped air inside. Is it the same for oven "baking"? (I don't remember if the rocks can explode because 100C is hot enough or because they become much hotter thanks to the fact that they are in direct contact with the bottom of the pot...)

Since they're porous, I hesitate to use bleach because I might not be able to wait for a month.