Tank Cleaning?

[Merlin]

I was looking at the glass tanks that the retailers near me sell. I've heard some people say that some of the 40+ gallon tanks are nearly impossible to lift, so I was wondering how someone was supposed to do the thorough wash-out without lifting the tank. I was told to use a bleach solution of one cap of bleach to a gallon (litre?) of water and wipe it down, and the bleach would dissipate as the water evaporated. I'm not entirely sure how that sounds :S.

Are there plexi-glass/light (safe) plastic tanks that don't weigh a ton? And what would be a good way of conserving heat in a glass tank? I understand that you should black out three of the four walls so would black cloth do well to conserve heat?

Thanks!

[Wh00h0069]

There are many companies out there that make PVC reptile cages. They are perfect for snakes, and what many people use for their snakes. I use PVC racks, which are full of Sterilite tubs for my smaller snakes, and 4x2x1 PVC cages for my larger snakes. Here is a site that sells racks and cages, although there are many others: http://www.reptilebasics.com/. BTW, I use Chlorhexidine as cleaner. You can find it here: http://www.reptilebasics.com/chlorhexadine-gallon.html.

[Alexandra V]

Yeah, the big tanks are incredibly heavy. I have trouble lifting a 25 gal. tank on my own (maybe because i'm a weakling lol). I guess the people that use them have other people help them lift the tanks, I don't know.

As for plastic tanks, I don't think I've seen any anywhere, but as was mentioned above a lot of people make PVC or ABS plastic reptile enclosures that are really nice visually and are super light and easy to clean.

P.S. a gallon of water is 4 litres, and if you use bleach to clean anything out you REALLY have to let it air out, especially if you decide to go for one of the reptile display cages.

[JeffD]

1st, be careful...bleach and ammonia(urine) mixed together makes a chemical similiar to MUSTARD GAS. That is bad. I highly recommend using a product designed for reptile's cages. 2nd, I have a custom glass tank that is 6'x3'x12" high. It has sliding front doors, and I clean it where it sits. Glass is nonporous just have to pay particular attention to the joints. 3rd, big tanks are ok as long as you have lots of things to climb over under around and through, and water. I must say it's hard to keep humidity up, but it can be done with moss, spraying, foggers, or waterfalls etc.

[kitedemon]

Tanks are heavy I'd actually suggest not moving in but cleaning it in place. With that in mind I;d also not suggest using bleach. Bleach must be washed off and very little residue left. That is hard to manage when you can't empty and fill the tank.

I use a scoop to remove loose substrate. A vacuum to get the rest of the substrate. I then use a steamer to start to kill bacteria, after a few steam cycles I'll wipe out the little bit of water. And use a chemical disinfectant (Chlorohexidine) REMEMBER it needs time to work (so does bleach for that matter) 20 min usually is a good rule of thumb. A steam hit follows and wipe down and 'mop' up of the liquid. than new substrate. And Yes I am terribly OCD.

[Merlin]

Thanks so much guys! I'll look into the chlorhexadine!

[Strick]

A cap full of bleach in a gallon of water is just about 50 to 100 ppm. Perfect for sanitizing any surface. Wipe down the tank and let it air dry and your done. After using the bleach solution you can wipe it down with fresh water if you want an then let air dry. Just don't mix it with anything else and your golden. Wiping up urine with it is not an issue. Hospitals and Day cares use this solution all day long for cleaning up. Oh and it's inexpensive to...

[kitedemon]

and toxic to reptiles it needs to be washed off. If you can smell it there is too much...

"lf a chlorine product is used, then a dechlorinizing agent should be added to the rinse water. A thorough rinsing of both the cleaning agents and disinfectants is important to prevent accidental absorption via residues, to limit contact irritants, and to remove odors that could harm the respiratory system of the cage occupant."
Melissa Kaplan