Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What's the best way to sanitize a tank before putting a beardie in it? I've got a 55 gallon that was just a fish tank. I'm cleaning it out, and plan on getting a beardie in April when a reptile expo comes to the area. Anything special I need to do to get the tank ready for it? I'm getting the lights, heat sources, substrate, etc., but wanted to know if there's anything special I should to as far as cleaning.

Thanks!

Howie

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1.3.0 Green Anoles
1.1.0 Jeweled Curly Tails (Big Guy & Cutie)

Wash it inside and out with a 10% chlorine 90% water solution. Scrub it good, then rinse it out with water, and scrub it down one more time with a little dish soap. And finally spray the whole thing down with water, and let it dry.
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1.1.0 Bearded Dragons
Quebert & Isis
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www.funnymanreptiles.com

Sry, when i said chlorine, i meant bleach. *same thing, but more ppl might kno wut im talking about if i say bleach.*

Again sry.
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1.1.0 Bearded Dragons
Quebert & Isis
_____
www.funnymanreptiles.com

Since you have such a nice long time to sanitize the cage before your beardie will be in it, bleach is very effective, not to mention inexpensive and readily available. Be certain to rinse well. However, with this amount of time, any chlorine fumes will be long gone. Once your beardie is living in the tank, I personally recommend chlorhexadine and grapefruit seed extract as routine cleaners. Both are safe and effective. Bleach works well, but you have to make certain to rinse and rinse and rinse again and then air dry til dry so that the fumes don't make the animal sick.

Another thing that works well for cleaning the tank routinely once you have the actual beardie is a water and vinegar solution
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0.1 Bearded dragon
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Thanks for all the ideas. I was looking for a way to clean without having to rinse per se, in a small townhouse it's kind of difficult for a single person to move the tank without risk of breaking it! I'll start with the vinegar & water, then move to bleach if it still needs it, and I can get some help!

Thanks again!
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1.3.0 Green Anoles
1.1.0 Jeweled Curly Tails (Big Guy & Cutie)