My friend cleaned his sump with soap, what do we do?

[keh9qd]

Today I was helping my friend who is just now getting into the hobby set up his first tank (it wont be read to put water in for a week or so). He is setting up a marineland 45g with a 15g sump. Anyway, I gave him the 15g sump and told him to go spray it out while I ate lunch. I came out and saw a bottle of dish soap there so I asked him if he used it... he did. I called three fish stores:

1. The first store said it was fixable. The advice was to use white vinegar and water scrub it and let it soak for a couple of days so all the chemicals from the soap would leach into the water.

2. The second store said the sump was ruined and the sump would continually leach harmful chemicals into the aquarium due to the chemicals sticking into the silicone.

3. The third fish store said (confidently) that it was no big deal at all. He recommended I scrub it with bleach and rinse it thoroughly. He said what I didn't rinse would evaporate as bleach evaporates in standard Missouri temperatures. He said to be on the safe side to scrub it with vinegar and water and let it soak for a few days.

I took the third stores advice because I knew the guy and he has been in the hobby for 25 years.

I'm hoping to get some expert feedback with good evidence. I will pose a question for those who say the sump is ruined:

If it is ruined due to chemicals from the soap perminently residing in the glass and silicone can you please explain your source for the information given? In other words, is it ruined because that is what you heard or can you provide some more info to explain what is actually happening that will cause the sump to be ruined.

Thanks in advance

[sporto0]

#3 is correct, no worries.

[gitsoe]

I'd do the vinegar, kills a lot and it's safe

[Putawaywet]

#2 should get out of the fish business as soon as possible. He is an idiot.

[gone fishin]

sounds like #2 is wanting to sell a new sump

[keh9qd]

Thanks guys, good to have a little back up encouagement and assurance. The worst thing in the hobby is to have a possible issue that may cause uncertainty. If anything is wrong with the tank you always remember the time you sprayed windex to close or whatever the issue was.

The #2 store I contacted was a lady and she went to get advice from someone, sounded like a younger guy in the background. I have run into a lot of folks in the hobby who like to talk. That is why I asked the question because I would bet a large amount that the kid who gave me that advice heard that from someone who heard it from someone rather than looking at facts. The sad thing about the store is that they were a saltwater fish store that thrives on tank maintenance.

[yellowRubi]

sounds like #2 is wanting to sell a new sump

+1

[bobears03]

I put water and vinegar in my tanks to clean them all the time. I even let them sit for a day or two to loosen the gunk. Then I just drain, scrub, refill, drain, scrub and done.

I use one gallon vinegar to 50 gallons water.

[DustinB]

Think about washing your hands with soap before putting them into the tank. I would guess your hands are more porous than glass and silicone. No issues as long as you rinse well. Personally, rinsing really well with the garden hose and final rinsing with RO/DI would have been sufficient for me.

[schristi69]

Bleach will only disinfect your tank. Vinegar water solution will clean any film left by the soap. I would clean with vinegar and water and then use a bleach solution to disenfect.

[Hudzon]

Yes detergent is dangerous to aquariums but dish soap just used to wash out a small tank and rinsed would not let much if any leach into the silicone, and should be a non-issue at all on the safe side a mild bath of bleach or vinegar would brake it up to where it was easily rinsed out.

[Palting]

#2 should get out of the fish business as soon as possible. He is an idiot.

sounds like #2 is wanting to sell a new sump

LOL!! Yup, actually a smart man, much like snake oil vendors are smart men. Never, ever, go back to that LFS, ever.

[Dr Colliebreath]

I would rinse well with water and let it soak, then wash with vinegar, and rinse well. You could ask in the chemistry forum so the chemists could tell you if there is something s afe that binds with soap and detergent molecules.

[yubunski]

If the soap was there only for wash and rinse I wouldn't worry about it too much. Give it a good scrub and rinse with vinegar and you should be good to go.

[Psirex]

My wife (a chemist) says 1 or 3 should work and the person giving advice #2 is full of #2.....