# Would bleach/peroxide damage Eco-complete?



## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

I just aquired a some more Eco-complete from someone that did not want them anymore but they were redoing the tank that got overtaken by algae and fish diesease.

I ended up getting the Eco-complete for my use but I was thinking of sterilizing the substrate. Would bleach or peroxide damage the substrate? How long should I let the treatment sit and at what dose to water ratio should I be mixing at?


Thanks.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Put it in a pot of water and boil it, stove top or microwave. Make sure it reaches the boiling point all the way through. This is cheap, effective, and leaves no residue.

The problem with oxidizing disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide and bleach is that if there's a lot of organic matter in the material you want to treat, it will take a lot of disinfectant to get it all. Ditto if it's deep in porous materials. Then you have the problem of getting all the excess disinfectant out.

I don't know what eco-complete is composed of, but if it's supposed to have ferrous iron in it, bleach or H2O2 will convert it to ferric iron which is much less available to plants.


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## j2quinn (Nov 23, 2006)

i would agree with Bae about boiling the substrate. hydrogen peroxide (4% v/v) that you buy is a poor microbiocide. usually hydrogren peroxide in combination with UV treatment is used.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

I use hydrogen peroxide to combat bba and algae, but it'd be too weak to sterilyze any disease. I'd boil for awhile, rinse, weak bleach solution for a bit then rinse with water containing extra dechlorinator.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

How long should I boil the eco-complete for? Also I'd liek to know how much loss of the eco-complete nutrients would be lost?

Thanks


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## j2quinn (Nov 23, 2006)

it would be impossible to tell without using analytical techniques. However, i am assuming most of the metals are in the form of oxides. if that is the case i wouldn't boil for long. some oxides are soluble while others are not. find a solubility rules table. however, in general, because you are increasing temperature you will actually increase solubility.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

j2quinn said:


> it would be impossible to tell without using analytical techniques. However, i am assuming most of the metals are in the form of oxides. if that is the case i wouldn't boil for long. some oxides are soluble while others are not. find a solubility rules table. however, in general, because you are increasing temperature you will actually increase solubility.


So boil for 1-2 mins tops? I think I'm going to hold out for more collective data/feedback here before doing it. Tho I'm not going ot waste and of the water if I get any leeching out. I'll save that and drop it into my hydroponics setup so my tomatos can suck it all up.

BTW can I pour the boiled liquid back into a fish tank after it cooled to give the plants more nutrients? Will it harm the fish?


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## j2quinn (Nov 23, 2006)

1 to 2 mins seems fine to me. that should be long enough to kill most bacteria. 

reusing the water is a good idea. however, without quantitatively knowing how much metal is in the water it would be considered dangerous to add to an aquarium. i am also assuming you are using some sort of filtered or treated water for this boiling and not tap water.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

j2quinn said:


> 1 to 2 mins seems fine to me. that should be long enough to kill most bacteria.
> 
> reusing the water is a good idea. however, without quantitatively knowing how much metal is in the water it would be considered dangerous to add to an aquarium. i am also assuming you are using some sort of filtered or treated water for this boiling and not tap water.


I was thinking of boiling tap water. My olny filtered water source is via my Brita filter.


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## j2quinn (Nov 23, 2006)

on a side note, if you are interested you should look up Tessier's speciation or BCR. these are techniques for releasing a trap analyte from sediments. if you knew what exactly eco-complete was comprised of, you could technically find out what it would be suspectible too. Tessier's and BCR speciation essentially list species (oxides, carbonates, primary, secondary minerals) with chemicals for the purpose of releasing a specific analyte. Thus, you could find a way to disinfect the gravel and minimize loss of minerals.


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## j2quinn (Nov 23, 2006)

AquaNeko said:


> I was thinking of boiling tap water. My olny filtered water source is via my Brita filter.


then just use the water for your plants or something.


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