Bleaching Logs What rates to use

[axl]

Hi,
i have got a couple of logs that have bba on it and need to out some bleach over them. Just need to no how people go about doing it do they pour straight bleach over the log or what. Also i got a log from the river and when i put into the tank, mozzys started to hatch in my tank how do i get rid of them. Would bleach kill all the eggs.???? Cheers axl

[ILLUSN]

bLeach will kill most things, if your tank has fish i WOULD NOT bleach it bleach is chlorine which we all know kills fish, don't your fish eat mozzie lavae? For bleaching drift wood i use 1 capfull (bout 10ml) per 10L bucket and soak for bout 5 min then i pour out all the water and add 5ml of prime and refill the bucket. I let that soak for another 10min then repeat and by then it should be good to go back in the tank.

[ikavia]

I bleached a couple of ceramic decorations a while ago due to the same problem after my LFS suggested it. As they didn't offer a rate and I wanted to be cautious I diluted the home-brand laundry bleach in water (I think it was cold so there wouldn't be as many bleach fumes due to hot water evaporation). I couldn't accurately state the dilution as it was just a good "slosh" of bleach, but I could maybe estimate it to being 1 cup to about 20 litres of water???

In respect to your found log, despite the fact that I'm sure your fish are going crazy for the mosquito wrigglers, I was under the impression that you shouldn't use found logs in your tank, as they need to be treated properly to preserve them and to stop toxins leaching into your tank. However the following link refers to a bleaching and dechlorination regime that can be carried out, although as I haven't ever treated driftwood I can't verify the accuracy of the information (http://www.tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=164760&sid=90a632d3ec1c691c7808bc76ba9d281e)

I should note that whilst searching for a link for you I came across this one that suggested that the tannins from untreated driftwood could be used to keep bacteria levels low (http://en.allexperts.com/q/Fish-1472/Angel-looking-good.htm). However I also can't verify this and would appreciate an insight in the use of untreated driftwood for this purpose from other posters.

Good luck.

[ikavia]

Oh I forgot to say that I rinsed VERY well in cold water (probably two or three times) and left it to dry out completely before putting back in my tank. I didn't have any adverse reactions from plants or fish afterwards.

[Hammerhead]

I purchased two nice pieces of driftwood from my lfs. I wanted to get them into the tank and have everyting going well before I purchased my discus. I specifically asked the store keeper if they would change the pH of the water and the reply was ... "not supposed to". My lfs purchased these pieces from an aquarium wholesaler and were rated for "immediate introduction" into the tank. Well ... they did change it! The pH of my tap water is 7.0 and the pH of the tank was 7.8! Water changes and chemicals only lowered the pH for a few hours before it shot back up to 7.8. I had to remove the real driftwood and add fake ones until I get the pieces to quit leeching. I'm still in the process of multiple soakings. I'll keep checking the pH of the soaking water until the pH stabiliizes with the tap water.

Through my experience, I'd be leary of just dropping in any piece of driftwood ... even those purchased from your lfs. I'd soak them in water for a few hours and then check that water before I'll ever put driftwood in my tank again.