Disinfecting a Fish Tank, previously inhabited by hermit crabs?

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vsturges1021

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I have a 10 gallon tank that used to be inhabited by 3 hermit crabs. I now would like to use it as a new fish tank for my betta fish (currently in a 2.5 gallon tank). Right now, the 10 gal. is full of sand, so obviously I have to take that out. After that, I'd like to disinfect it, but with what, how, and how long? I don't want any strange germs lurking in the tank when I add water for my fish.
 
You don't use any sort of disinfectant to clean it. No matter how many times you rinse it out, there still could be some residue of the chemical left in there that will poison your betta. You will want to first empty it out and you can clean it with hot water and a small scrubby brush you can find in the fish section of your local pet store. It may be blue or white and it is made specifically to scrub clean glass tanks. Use only this and a scraper (if needed) with warm/hot water.
 
i use warm water and baking soda to disinfect my tanks. keep it inside of the tank for as long as it takes you to SCRUB the bottom, walls, and top if you will be using the same one.

good luck!
 
You could use sand as your bottom in a fish tank. Its just a little bit harder to clean, it looks 100 times better than gravel. All you need to do is empty the sand and rise it out good and let it sit it will be fine.

If you really want to clean and disinfect it use bleach. Make a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water solution and then scrub out the tank with it and rinse it out. Then let the tank sit and air dry for three days before you fill it with CONDITIONED WATER and let it cycle for the three weeks that takes and your fish will be fine. Good luck
 
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