cleaning a tank

[bereleah]

hi guys,
what is the best way to clean an old tank before using it?
thanx!

 

[Imbarrie]

Vinegar works on the coraline or any deposits and a razor blade works on the glass.

Dont use soap or windex at all.

 

[bereleah]

Vinegar works on the coraline or any deposits and a razor blade works on the glass.

Dont use soap or windex at all.

like what type of vinegar?
and what about bleach?

 

[Imbarrie]

Distilled white vinegar. That will kill everything and react to any calcified deposits.
Rinse with a lot of water when finished.

I would not use bleach at all.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Bleach can work fine but most rinse out good and air dry for 24hrs. Most people use bleach to clean filter socks and let air dry to make sure

 

[LaurieC]

I just cleaned a really mucky 55G and here's what I did

What you need:

1. Distilled White Vinegar--you can get this at the supermarket--get a jug or two of it.
2. Spray bottle--pick one up at hardware store
3. Paint scrapper for glass--get at hardware store--it has a razor blade in it.
4. Old newspaper
5. RODI water
6. Copper test kit--get at LFS
7. Aquarium silicone--can get at LFS or hardware store (DAP makes one safe for tanks)

Spray glass down with the white vinegar and start scrapping from top to bottom in long stripes/strokes down the glass. I did this in sections, keeping it wet with vinegar. The muck will slide off to the bottom of the tank. Make sure you get under any rims and be careful not to cut the silicone away as you scrape. (You may want some aquarium silicone on hand should you need to repair). After you've cleaned all the muck off and mopped it up from the bottom of the tank, spray the tank with the vinegar again and wipe it down with the old newspaper. Keep using crisp, dry sheets--don't wipe with the wet newspaper--that won't do anything. It's the crinkly ridges on the dry newspaper that scrape any crude off with the vinegar. Rinse and fill tank with RODI water and check for leaks. Also test the water for cooper by following directions on the test kit. If no leaks and no copper, you are good to go. This is what I did and it worked like a charm. Although be prepared, it is a really dirty job and really stinky. Also, white vinegar will burn if you have any cuts on your hand.

Good luck!

 

[spacenyc]

anyone ever use garden vingar?

when im at the garden store they sell vingar that is much stronger, is that ok? it has lots of warning labels on it

 

[LaurieC]

I would not use garden vinegar--I suspect they sell that for killing snails. Distilled White Vinegar is actually what they use in the restaurant industry to sanitize so it is very safe and effective. Plus it's cheap.

 

[bereleah]

thanx guys!!!