how to clean out a fish tank?

[sarahandkevin]

shutting down the tank and i need to clean the tank. What solutions can I use that will not harm the tank for it to be usable for fish again?

 

[D1J8Z]

vinegar

 

[duke62]

water and elbow grease

 

[inkblue]

 

[skene]

Water mixed with vinegar like stated. You can also try the water and bleach, but it is really not intended for most as it can go either way if the mixture is incorrect and you can wind up damaging the tank and get seepage of the bleach later on down the line.

Don't forget a scrub and a whole lot of elbow grease.

 

[jhale]

sarah, I used vinegar. after the tank was empty i filled it with tap water and 6 gallon of vinegar. I let the system run overnight, pumps skimmer etc. this made all the coraline dissolve. anything that was left came right off with a sponge.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

I did what jhale recomended....works like a charm.....:splitspin

 

[Sumbub]

6 gallons of vinegar on how large a tank? I have a old tank I have to clean and don't want to put too much in there. LOL

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Hi sarahandkevin ;-)

Definitely vinegar as recommended:approve:. Its what I use to clean thoroughly skimmers, tanks, equipment. It will dissolve coraline or loosen it as well as other incrustations overnight or in few hours. Then you just have to drain and fill up with partially with clean water, and drain again...and it will be ready:Blurp::approve:.

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[TimberTDI]

what about a tank that doesn't have any coraline? I just transported a tank in the back of a pick up, in the rain for 4 hours. It had an about an inch of muddy water. It's dry now but the dirt is still there.

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

what about a tank that doesn't have any coraline? I just transported a tank in the back of a pick up, in the rain for 4 hours. It had an about an inch of muddy water. It's dry now but the dirt is still there.

Hi TimberTDI,
Simply place the tank over a soft cloth or soft surface like Styrofoam, on a even flat plane located in a place were you can wet the floor/ground, tilt the tank to one of its larger sides (front or back), put two wedges made of Styrofoam at each end so that these raise tank from the bottom side and help the water out, then use a simple garden hose and wash the tank. Once you've done this, put the tank back in position and fill it up. If you feel that additional cleaning is needed, then proceed with the vinegar clean up as mentioned in the previous post, drain it afterwards, clean it with some water and soft sponge, and it will be ready for service.

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[TimberTDI]

Pedro,

Problem is tank is too big to muscle around.

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Pedro,

Problem is tank is too big to muscle around.

Hi TimberTDI
Then you do not tilt it to one of its larger sides, simply put it in position and use de garden hose, only before that you put a pump inside the tank and turn it on when it becomes covered with enough dirty water that in the mean time has been produced as you pour water from the hose into the tank and remove the dirt. The pump is of course connected to a hose or pipe that conveys the dirty water to the drain. You keep on adding water until the water becomes clear as the dirty water has progressively been pumped out. Then you can either proceed with the vinegar cleaning or simply clean the remaining water at the bottom with a non abrasive very soft/smooth sponge or non abrasive very soft/smooth sponge cloth

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)