What do I do now?

[dang]

I’ve been fishing hard this week, took some vacation to go chase striped fish around. Took a rest today and slept in and have been hanging around the house. My father in-law offered to wash my boat (great…one less thing for me to do)… I walked outside and he’s got the thing shining like new….just one problem, he cleaned out my 30 gallon creek bank. There was bleach water sitting in it. I wasn’t happy…..but what’s done is done. I dumped it, rinsed it good with fresh water, and have it sitting in the sun to dry out now. I’ve always been a no chemicals in the bait tank guy….hard to find any info on the subject but I can’t imagine shad are gonna tolerate bleach. Am I screwed? Anyone have any experience with this and is there anything I can do to neutralize it? I’ve been thinking about getting up and catching a tank of bait in the morning just to see if they die

 

[ilbcnu]

Dump a bottle of vitamin c in the tank and let dissolve then lightly scrub and flush

 

[Gadestroyer74]

Get some creek or lake mud when you go. Take that and wash it with lots of it like you was washing it. I wouldn’t use ga red clay lol.. Then rinse it good in the lake. Should he just fine afterwards

 

[Big7]

Acid will neutralize a base.

Flush it out with some vinegar and rinse it good.

 

[ilbcnu]

Acid will neutralize a base.

Flush it out with some vinegar and rinse it good.

Might want to re-think that idea

 

[SPED]

When i first started striper fishing, the bait man told me to clean out my tank with bleach when the Herring didn't go to the bottom of the tank when he put them in it. He said, "You just need to rinse it about 20 times and when you have finished, rinse it another 20". Mr. Albert had the best herring there was bar none!

 

[lampern]

Rinse it out good and go fishing

 

[Big7]

Might want to re-think that idea

Why?

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

Why?

Cause that's how you make chlorine gas

 

[Dustin Pate]

I clean mine with chlorine regularly. Rinse it a few times and let it air out. It will be perfectly fine.

 

[dang]

Good stuff - appreciate all the replies! Tight lines fellas …. !

 

[treadwell]

Chlorine turns to salt in a few days, it will be just fine.

 

[Redbeardless]

Rinse your tank good and fill it up. Get some Sure-Life Better Bait minnow holding formula. Dump a capful in and stir well to dissolve. Let it sit for a little while and flush. Problem solved. It will probably stain your tank bluish for a little while, but it will remove any trace of chlorine. I keep a large bottle and add a little to the water every time I get herring or minnows and it works great. I have kept minnows for a couple of weeks using it to condition city water and changing the water every day. If you don't want to add any type chemical, rinse your tank well and let it air out for a few days, should be fine. Chlorine evaporates very rapidly.

 

[ilbcnu]

Why?

Bleach + vinegar = chlorine gas. Ascorbic acid (vitamin c) neautrilizes bleach

 

[klerchkatcher]

My dad washed his tropical fish tanks out with bleach. The man my dad bought his fish from told him to use bleach, he did it for years without any problems.

 

[dang]

Sounds like it should be OK based on a number of replies. I washed it out good with clean water and dried it out good with a clean towel. I’ll plan on letting it sit out in the sun today and catch a test tank of bait one morning this week to see how they do

 

[ryork]

I had something very similar happen a few years ago. Rinsed it out multiple times and then let it sit out in the sun and wind, no problem. One thing is for sure, most folks don’t know how much work striper fishing can be!!!

 

[dang]

I had something very similar happen a few years ago. Rinsed it out multiple times and then let it sit out in the sun and wind, no problem. One thing is for sure, most folks don’t know how much work striper fishing can be!!!

Ain’t that the truth!!

 

[ryork]

Ain’t that the truth!!

Absolutely!

 

[basstrkr]

My 2 cents: I don't know the chemistry but pet stores sell treatment for city water that removes CL2 for aquarium use.