One thing I have learnt from keeping fish for 15 years is that, if you’re doing any work with the tank, wear some alternative clothing that you don’t care about all that much. And I don’t mean just wear something that’s black. That’s not good enough. Chemicals commonly used in fish keeping will stain clothes, namely methylene blue and malachite green. While these will probably go unnoticed on a black hoodie, you have to watch out. Some chemicals have a different reaction. For instance, potassium permangate. We all know about that dark powder that turns water purple in minute quantities, but did you know that it goes brown once it’s oxidised? And, as I learnt the hard way, if your top is white, it’ll stain it brown. If your top is black, it will stain it brown. Yes, PP actually bleaches clothes as it stains them brown. So be warned.
January 27, 2012
