Water bucket for fishtank - possible contamination

Hello,

I have a trusty plastic bucket which I use to collect water for my fish tank. I like it - its a good size which fits neatly under my two 12 year old aquarium tanks. My current fishes have been with me for nearly five years.

Unfortunately, an aunt, who stayed at my place for a short holiday, used my bucket to wash her clothes in. I think she may have used bleach.

I put out my bucket into the sun and left it outside for a few weeks. I used it to collect water for my courtyard plants - no fertilizer used. Anyhow, I've been looking around for a replacement bucket but I can't find anything similar.

I'm just wondering on the advisibility of reusing the bucket for my fish tank. Should I use it? Or should I stick to the adage - if in doubt, don't?

Cheers,

I use bleach to disinfect nets, tanks, filters, etc. all the time. Just rinse it out good and use it........Frank

As an extra precaution, you could fill the bucket with tap water, let it sit for a day, refill it, etc. for several days and see if there is a film on top or any odor. I would be more worried about residue from the laundry detergent than about chlorine from the bleach. Most aquarium water conditioners will remove chlorine, but soaps have lots of chemicals that are dangerous to fish and difficult to break down into harmless substances.