Sodium hypochlorite and prime safety

[drawman]

Hey Randy I have a safety question for you. Is prime safe to use to neutralize bleach indoors?

I added bleach (about 2 cups to 60 gallons) to clean my tank and let it air dry. My plan was to fill the tank back up with RO water and add some prime to neutralize any leftover bleach. I am assuming prime is sodium thiosulfate correct (if known)? Is it safe to do this indoors or could harmful gases be produced (not all that sure of the chemistry here)? Worst case I could just keep diluting by running freshwater, draining, and repeating as an alternative.

 

[drawman]

Tagging you @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I know I'm not Randy, but the answer is yes. Prime and other dechlorinators are regularly used for freshwater tanks and not only can be added to a bucket of chlorinated tap water indoors with no issue, it can be added directly to an established aquarium.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

However, any chlorine from the bleach you used to clean your tank has long since dissipated.
The only concern is if you used a bleach formula/product that contained surfactants or other additives. In that case, just rinsing well with (tap) water and wiping down the inside of the tank to remove any residue is all that would be needed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree. Bleach releases fumes that can be a concern, but adding Prime to reduce the chlorine is not likely to release anything to the air that is a concern.