If you have decorations in your fish tank, you are probably wondering what the best way to clean them is. In this article, I will discuss whether you can put fish tank decorations in the dishwasher.
Can you put fish tank decorations in the dishwasher?
Yes, you can put fish tank decorations in the dishwasher. However, you should not put any soap in dishwasher, and before you run it make sure there is no soap residue anywhere in the dishwasher.
This is essential, because even small traces of dish soap can be deadly to your fish and plants.
While you can run the dishwasher with just water, we recommend cleaning your fish tank decorations by washing them and scrubbing them with an aquarium sponge. Luckily, aquarium sponges are very cheap, and there are a lot of options under $7.
Aquarium Sponge (~$6)
This will be much quicker, and you avoid the risk of getting dish soap on the decorations. Additionally, some fish tank decorations might get damaged during the dishwasher cycle (especially if they are flimsy or plastic).
If you have a large fish tank with a lot of ornaments, it might be easier to just wash them all together in the dishwasher. This would be faster than cleaning them by hand, and as long as there is no dish soap involved, your fish will be safe.
We have heard of some people who put a little bleach in the dishwasher when they wash their fish tank decorations. We do not recommend doing this because the leftover bleach might contaminate your dishes the next time you put them in the dishwasher.
Why should you clean your fish tank decorations?
Regularly cleaning your fish tank decorations and ornaments is an important task for fish tank maintenance. We recommend cleaning your fish tank decorations every month or two. Below are the main benefits of regularly cleaning your decorations:
- prevents overgrowth of algae
- gives your decorations and fish tank a cleaner and fresher appearance
- prevents your decorations from eroding and helps them last longer
- it is easier to clean the rest of your fish tank when you remove the fish tank decorations
