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Clorox wipes touched my marine tank water. Are my fish okay?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Hi, I have a marine fish tank with 4 fish, an anemone, and a couple of invertebrates. There's nothing wrong right now but I'm scared that I might have jeopardized the aquarium's safety during a maintenance routine. I was doing some aquascaping when I realized that I forgot to rinse my hand beforehand, which worries me because I had handled clorox wipes (benzyl ammonium chloride) roughly 30 minutes before touching the water. Are my fish going to be ok, and is there anything I can do right now?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on February 7th, 2020

If your hands were dry, the residue was likely minimal. It may have been further diluted by the water in the tank. There isn't much to be done except to monitor tank inhabitants for any symptoms of exposure such as lethargy, decreased appetite or swimming oddly. A partial water change can be done to further dilute any residue in the tank.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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