planted tank, simple green, and hydrogen peroxide

hi all

So Ive been spot cleaning as necessary but will eventually want to try a deeper clean to rid any paranoia of building bacteria or mold.

Ive read that a number of people try a mild hydrogen peroxide spray with no ill effects. I am mildly worried about its effect on the dead sphagnum and wood Ive used to cover the back of the tank. Anyone have bleaching problems while using a 12-25% H2O2 solution as a cleaning spray?

I also have some simple green, which is non-toxic and (supposedly) harmless to plants. It is really pungent though and Im not sure how sensitive chams are to airborne/vapor based chemicals (chameleon would be free-ranged somewhere while I clean, just worried about residual). Anyone use simple green for cleaning a cage?

to clarify, no issues with mold/bacteria, but I do want a bio-safe cleaner that would knock out both.
pic of the viv for reference
VbiAW4b.jpg
 
Unless you have a parasite problem, a good scrubbing is probably all it needs. Hot water and ivory liquid dish soap (the white kind in the squeeze bottle) is what I use. I also have a shark steamer that I use for hard to clean things like branches and vines.

I like ivory liquid dish soap for just about everything. It's a mild anionic surfactant with no perfume or dye and nothing to deposit residue, like with Dawn or Joy which have an additive that stays on the surface to help prevent water spots.

I use ILDS diluted in potable or RO water for general cleaning of delicate and historic objects (also for washing my car, hehe), and I trust it with animals. You still want to thoroughly rinse everything just in case and make sure it's the squeeze bottle kind, not the bar.

(I copied much of this from a previous post: https://www.chameleonforums.com/cage-cleaning-disinfecting-112024/)

I think a gentle wipe down on hard surfaces and maybe a steamer for more delicate ones will probably get you where you need. I don't have any experience with Simple Green or H2O2.
 
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I use a very weak solution of nolvasan. It is used in vets office and hospitals. But I use it where I can wipe it off, so I am not sure how it would work on your beautiful, beautiful terrarium.
 
I use a very weak solution of nolvasan.

Unless you have a parasite problem, a good scrubbing is probably all it needs. Hot water and ivory liquid dish soap (the white kind in the squeeze bottle) is what I use. I also have a shark steamer that I use for hard to clean things like branches and vines.

thanks for the suggestions, Ill have to look into them.

I dont have any bacteria/parasite/mold issues (that I know of), but the sphagnum on the back does make it difficult to wipe clean. The bottom and sides are bare, so Im not terribly worried about that if I clean it with either. The shark-steamer sounds like a good idea for the background and wood though
 
Because you have a planted terrarium your concerns with chemicals are going to be different. Have you checked dart frog websites for suggestions on cleaning that type of setup? They could probably tell you which products won't harm your moss or plants.
 
Because you have a planted terrarium your concerns with chemicals are going to be different. Have you checked dart frog websites for suggestions on cleaning that type of setup? They could probably tell you which products won't harm your moss or plants.

thats a great idea, I would imagine they're probably just as sensitive to chemicals as chams
Im not too worried about harming the moss, its already dead and siliconed onto the back, but the plants are a potential problem.
 
thats a great idea, I would imagine they're probably just as sensitive to chemicals as chams
Im not too worried about harming the moss, its already dead and siliconed onto the back, but the plants are a potential problem.

If anything, dart frogs are much MORE sensitive to chemicals than chams as amphibian skin is so porous.
 
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