How can I clean the glass?

[Big C]

I mean the inside of the glass lid. There are a couple of spots where the water from the filters spalshes a little, right under the lights, that are getting really cloudy. The same spots that collect green algae, but this comes out easily. The carbonate deposits are much harder to clean. What can I use to clean those that wont hurt the fish?

I guess it doesn't matter much, because it's only visible when I remove the lights to clean the tank, but if it gets really cloudy, it may shield some of the light.

Thanks!

 

[Zagz]

Can you remove the glass? If so take it off and clean it with vinegar. A razor blade can be used for stubborn areas. If it can't be taken off, put some vinegar on a rag and gently and carefully clean the areas.

 

[crazychick]

i have a mag-float its great

 

[Devilishturtles]

A magfloat won't reach the inside of the glass, with those deposits. Like Zagz said, vinegar and a razor blade works awesome.

 

[severum mama]

I haven't used vinegar on that part of a tank, but I do the razor blade thing... very carefully.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

I get major carbonate build-up right under the light on the glass hood where my filter discharges and splashes up. A little white vinegar on a rag takes it right off, and then rinse well with plain water before reinstalling.

 

[malkore]

if it get really bad, you can use Lime Away to dissolve it.. But this stuff is nasty toxic, so wear gloves, and make sure you clean all residue off afterwards.

i find vinegar isn't the best if the glass has been ignored a very long time.

 

[Thebluyak]

make sure you take the lif off before you start dosing around with vinager, or lime away. Dont want any of that to get into the water. If you dont have a razor blade, a piant scraper will work, just becareful to keep it exactly flat or u will scratch the glass

 

[Big C]

Awesome! I had thought of vinegar but didn't dare to use it without confirmation that it would be OK for fishies.

Thanks a lot, guys!

 

[noncentric]

Awesome! I had thought of vinegar but didn't dare to use it without confirmation that it would be OK for fishies.

Thanks a lot, guys!

I think that the main effect vinegar has is reducing pH. You'd still want to avoid getting any vinegar into the tank water, but at least the side-effect (lowered pH) of accidentally getting vinegar into the tank water isn't as bad as getting the more powerful products (like Lime-Away or CLR) into the tank water.

Good luck!

 

[igongora]

I have this same problem. I will try vinegar.. can it be any brand?

 

[noncentric]

I have this same problem. I will try vinegar.. can it be any brand?

I don't think brand will matter - although you'll probably want to stick with "white vinegar"...not any of the other vinegar varieties.

Hope it works for you - it was pretty effective for me.

 

[Big C]

The lids from my tank can be removed. Next weel I'll try the vinegar/razor blade recipe and make sure to rinse them well before placing them back.

Thanks again!