corkbark...

[daeva]

does anyone know the proper way to prepare cork bark for the tank?
i washed it thoroughly, got all the loose bits off, and soaked it in a 5% bleach solution, and rinsed it till it didn't smell like bleach anymore.

anything else?

my new guy has a basking spot, so it doesn't need to go in immediately, i just like it alot better than what he has.

[kaley]

Sounds like that should take care of it! I can't think of anything else...

Kaley

[Shawn(snakebite)]

Personally , soaking the wood in a bleach solution would have me worried no matter if you think you rinsed it enough that it doesn't smell. I am extremely paranoid about things like that , but I imagine it will be fine. I would think it is possible some extent of the bleach would still be in the wood and seep into the water , compromising the quality. The cork bark is very pourous and it would be hard to make sure it is all out. I recommend putiing it in the oven and baking it at a high heat to kill any parasites or such that may have made home in it. I do this with all wood products I use , of course you have to keep a n eye on it and make sure you don't create a fire. The high heat will surely kill anything parasites and then I would still wash the corkbark in hot water as well. Best of luck with the new guy , always exciting getting a new addition. ;D

[joeysgreen]

Bleach is just like any other reactive chemical. Once the reaction is done, it's not reactive anymore. Then it's just the products you're dealing with. In this case, it'd just be non-worrisome nitrogen products. If worried, let the cork bark soak in water prior to rinsing it out.

Ian

[daeva]

i did put the corkbark in after rinsing it with the bleach solution. i added some water conditioner to counteract any bleach that might have been left, the feeder fish in the tank are still doing very well, as are the ghost shrimp. so i figure it should be okay.
the new turt loves the bark, i'm going to pick up a larger piece next time i am at the petstore for my other tank too.
it looks a thousand times better than the other basking dock i have.

Lisa.

[alex]

quite honestly, the bleach probably did absolutely nothing. Bleach is highly reactive to organic matter, so your 5% bleach solution was likely inactivated by all the surface bits of debris... dirt, corkbark... possibly some bacteria.

If you want an awesome disinfectant, get some Virkon S... you should be able to buy it online. Quatricide, which also used to be good, is now considered a carcinogen and should only be used under well ventilated circumstances where you won't inhale fumes. Also, don't underestimate the ability of 70% ethanol (not isopropanol, the rubbing alcohol stuff) to kill pathogens, especially parasites, on surfaces.

However, if you think about cork bark and where it comes from, there's very little in the way of parasites that would be potentially transmitted to a turtle.... the majority of the processing is not done in the same area as turtles. It's probably not a big deal. I'd be most likely to soak it in scalding water in case chemicals were used to treat the surface.