Cleaning a tank after an anchor worm outbreak.

Question
I have a 20 gallon tank that recently had an anchor worm outbreak. All of the fish have died off. Now my problem is cleaning it out. I have read many articles stating to use bleach on everything and others stating to bleach the tank and throw away the decorations. I plan on replacing the filter but I can't really afford to replace all the decorations. What is the best way to clean everything so I can get my tank set back up? Thanks in advance Krista

Answer
Hi Krista,

You will be happy to hear that you won't have to throw away the decorations. It is completely unnecessary. The reason why some articles and books say this is either a) Some ornaments have little nooks and crannies that might not be able to be cleaned, or b) They are pet stores which want you to buy more ornaments.

Strip down and wash the entire tank with bleach. You do not need to replace the filter itself, but you need to replace the filter media within it. Wash the media compartment with bleach as well.

For the ornaments and decorations, you can soak them in a 1:1 bleach and water solution in a large bucket for 24 hours.

Remember to rinse every thing twice with water before even attempting to add fish or plants. This is very important.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!