Is rat urine harmful to fish?

Question

I have a 20 high aquarium that had a rat in it for 3 years. The aquarium looks just as it did when I bought it except the silicone seals will need replaced. I was wondering if it would be harmful to the fish to house them in this aquarium? Also what steps can I take if it is harmful to make the aquarium safe for fish? Any help is greatly appreciated I couldn't find any sources on the internet.

Answer 1

Rat urine is EXTREMELY HARMFUL not only to fishes.. It can even harm an ADULT human..

Clean the tank thoroughly with BOILING HOT water... Repeat this process several times!! I repeat, SEVERAL TIMES!!!

Once this process is done, put boiling water AGAIN and leave it there overnight... The very next morning, congratulations! You have an extremely toxic free tank!

Please remember, not to use any form of SOAP to clean it! GO

Answer 2

clean it with warm boiled water this will sterilize it then it should be fine to use for fish just make sure u cycle the water before adding any fish good luck :)

Answer 3

I wouldn't attempt to use it as an aquarium for fish, not that you wouldn't be able to clean the rat urine, if you don't properly seal it, you could end up with one he** of a mess. You would be better off purchasing a new one. If you are experienced with sealing and think that you can do it correctly, use distilled whit vinegar to clean, let it sit for about 1-2 weeks to air, the clean again with distilled water.

Answer 4

I would honestly bleach the entire tank before even considering adding fish. Replacing the sealer is also a must, but you're already doing that.

Bleach the tank, rinse it VERRRRY thoroughly, then leave it to sit for at least a week.

Even if you haven't had a rat in the tank for a fair while, it's not worth the risk.