I did a thorough cleaning today--took out all fake plants and ornaments, vacuumed, water change, etc following the instructions in the pinned topic by Emma. She suggested wiping out any hollow ornaments with a sponge (or something like that). Well I have a large fake "log" in my tank that is hollow but the holes in it are not large enough to get a sponge (or anything really) into it to clean it out.

So I sprayed it out with the sprayer on the kitchen sink. Then I let it air dry. All the water that came out of it while I sprayed it was clear--no big globs of gunk and I could fit my finger inside of it and it didn't feel slimy or anything.

Is there something else I should do to clean it out next time? Maybe something I could soak the whole thing in to clean it and then let it air dry?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

Spraying it out sounds like a pretty good job. What you are attempting to do is blast any waste that is in there and to introduce air into an area that can sit without air - which encourages bacteria that does not use that oxygen for life. That type of bacteria - anaerobic - produces a toxic gas as it grows and proccesses waste. Simply pumping it up and down and swishing it around in a bucket of waste water would probably even do the job.

Washing the thing out is a good idea. If you have one ot those fish equipment cleaning brushes - often sold with filters and such - they look like a baby bottle nipple brush on a long handle - you can poke that in there and scrub it around if you wish.

Unless you are finding that there is a large amount of nasty smelling stuff in there that will not come out, I would not think you need to soak it at all. The act of cleaning out anything that is sitting stagnant in the "log" will prevent the anaerobic bacteria from setting up shop. You do need to do this on at least a weekly basis though. The danger comes when you pick up the ornament, releasing any toxic gas that may have collected in there. If a fish get a snootful of that gas, they can go belly up in moments!

You could even run an airhose in there - I have seen airstones that are the diameter of an airhose too - that would bubble away and eliminate the worry about something sitting without oxygen.

If you choose to soak the ornament in bleach, I would recommend that you make it a short bath - to preserve the color of the ornament. Then soak it in a bath of water that has dechlorinator added.

Air drying is not really necessary, I do not think. Many bacteria are not deactivated by drying, nor is any waste removed that way. I think that that is a lengthy step you can safely skip.

Great ideas, as usual, daryl!!

I do have some of those cleaning brushes so I'll try that the next time.

I like the idea of maybe running an air tube in there. I don't have an air pump yet but here is yet another reason to get one. Oh I love getting new toys for my goldies!! (Fortunately my husband has a few hobbies of his own so he doesn't complain about the $!!)

Thanks again. I'll look into the air pump idea. Do you think if I did put an airpump in I could get away with cleaning out the "log" every couple of weeks instead of weekly? It took me over an hour to clean the tank last night. If I just change the water and vacuum, I've got that down to about 20 minutes.

I think so. I have a tall piece of "driftwood" ornament in one of my tanks. I took a small drill and drilled a set of small holes at the top of each "peak". I then ran an airhose with a bubblestone inside from one bottom leg. Because the holes are little, a little stream of bubbles comes constantly from the top of the "wood" It works well.

There will always be a bit of waste that is caught under an ornament (I run barebottom) but it is an easy thing to lift it and give it a shake or two. The syphon quickly sucks up anything that was there and the thing is clean. I only pull my ornaments out every once in a while to give them a good scrub. That tall one is so large, I have to take the whole hood off to get it out. I scrub it for algae every week with a dedicated brush - right in the tank. Any free floating algae from the scrub gets zapped by the UV anyway.

I have other ornaments with air running through them, also. I just upend them every week and skake them out gently. None has ever gotten any algae inside, for it is too dark. Anything in there usually comes right out. With the air passing through, I have had no problems with pockets of toxic gas collecting. The worst that happens is some waste collecting - and it shakes out.

That will speed your cleaning process.

You could even drill any holes that are on the bottom of the "log" and not visible, and make them larger so it is easier clean the inside if you wish. I also have a tiny little coping saw that I use for various crafts - and it can be used to cut out any sections of an ornament I wish. It is very easy material to cut. Manufacture your ornaments to suit you - do not be a slave to them!

Oh, thank you so much, daryl!!

I noticed when I put the log back in the tank there are several small holes that air came out of when I put it under the water. I wonder if those will be enough or I'll have to drill some holes out? I guess I could try it first then drill if I need to?

The log is pretty big too and I have learned just how to maneuver it so I don't need to take the whole hood off to get it out. I bought a soft toothbrush this past weekend just for cleaning the log so i think I'll take your suggestion and do a little shake and scrub action rather than take the whole thing out every week. I don't have a UV sterilizer though. Will the algae cause a problem? Maybe I should take the log out to scrub it?

I would not worry about the algae too much. There will always be algae in one place or another. IF you find that you just cannot keep up with it, lower your nitrates some more and maybe take the log out to clean it. It should be easy to adjust your routine accordingly. With algae, though, nothing is urgent or written in stone. Do what pleases your eye. I like having a nice green coating on the back glass and the bottom of the tank. I do not like the green on the ornaments, stones or sides of the tank. But that is my particular idiosycrasies! Be happy and enjoy the fish - that is what it all boils down to!

So it's basically the anaerobic bacteria that I need to be concerned about? Would shaking the ornament on a regular basis suffice or do I need to add the airstone if I'm going to have hollow ornaments?

Oh look I've made it to Level 1!! Yippee!!