Cleaning used SW tank?

[mrcrazypants05]

I bought a used 65 gallon aquarium and it has some algae on the sides of the tank. How would I go about getting rid of it ;P Not sure how long the tank has been dry. Not sure if that matters. Thanks

 

[jgc8fan]

I changed my SW to FW last year, and cleaned every bit of it, got rid of all ornaments, new gravel, etc... Thought I did a pretty good job, but the darn cyano and green hair algae showed up, and I've been using algae eaters and plants to fight it back since... Funny thing is that I've NEVER had these types of algae in any FW tank I've ever had before.

If I were you I'd mix up some bleach and water to clean out the tank, rinseit, let it sit for a day or two until the chlorine smell is gone, and then spray the inside with some dechlor spray just for good measure.

I don't think it matters how long the tank is dry... Somehow the algae always comes back. If you sterilize it with bleach well enough maybe you'll get lucky.

 

[Simpte]

If you're in no hurry bleach the tank. Let it sit for 24 hrs and drain. I then fill with clean water and dump again. The I fill with more water and add dechlorinator. Let air dry. For calcium spots I use muriatic acid.

 

[mrcrazypants05]

Thanks, but whenever I go to drain it can I use the Python? If I do how would I get the bleach out of it?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

When I bought my used 55G from a friend, it was empty and dry, and lots of dried algae and calcium deposits. I just wiped it all down with white clear vinegar, took it all right off. Once I was satisfied with the job, I then wiped it all down again with a clean new rag and hot water. Almost like new now.

 

[jgc8fan]

Yes you can... One option is before you drain it put in the amount of dechlor for that size tank, and mix it in before you drain. Otherwise just let it sit... The chlorine will dissipate over a day or two, but dechlor (any brand) will get rid of it immediately. If the tank/python smells at all like chlorine then fill it and dechlor it again. Depending on the brand it should be around 7-13 teaspoons for a 65 gallon tank. It's not really too big an issue since any chlorine will have dissipated long before the tank is cycled, and ready to stock at any rate. Just make sure there is no smell in the python before using it on any other tanks.

 

[jgc8fan]

Oops... Forum double posted...

 

[mrcrazypants05]

thanks everyone. I'm not going to be setting this aquarium up for a few months or so... possibly not until summer as I'm researching SW

 

[jgc8fan]

I'll give you one tip on SW if you do it... Buy the big buckets of salt for your water changes... It's cheaper in the long run, less trips to the store, and if you get the Corallife brand you get a T-shirt in the bucket as well (if they're still doing that).

 

[mrcrazypants05]

well i tried bleach for a whole day and that got a lot of it off and then i tried getting the rest with vinegar, but its not all coming off... Some of this purple stuff is hard to get off.. I forget what it's called... coralline? Anyway... Anymore suggestions? lol I'm going to be painting the back today.

 

[mrcrazypants05]

Can anyone help me get the rest off? lol Maybe a razor blade? it is a glass tank lol... anything!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Maybe a razor blade scraper that is for scraping paint off glass? The hardware store would be a good place to look for one. Just be carefull in doing it so you don't scratch the glass.