Getting Calcification Off Inside of 40 Gallon Tank

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Twoapennything

Aquarium Advice Freak
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Jan 18, 2010
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It's been a while since I've posted!

I'm in the process of rebuilding my 40 gallon Marineland Eclipse (with biowheel) tank, which went neglected after a horrible algae invasion. The water eventually evaporated out of the tank and left lines of calcification all over the glass that I cannot get off by a fish tank scrubbie pad or by scraping it gently with a razor blade.

I've cleaned the tank thoroughly with the appropriate dilution of bleach water and it's been rinsed well. How, though, can I get these lines of calcification off the inside glass walls of the tank? It's unsightly. See picture.
 

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Try soaking it in vinegar and water then scraping.Or soak some paper towels in straight vinegar and lay them on one side at a time for 10-20 mins and repeat scraping and wiping. The acidic vinegar usually dissolves the deposits.
 
Ah, that's a great idea! Thank you -- it didn't even occur to me to try vinegar. I don't want to use any substance that could potentially harm the fish. Vinegar is a perfect suggestion.
 
Just be sure and rinse well after using the vingar solution, as residue will promote the growth of hair algae in your rebuild.
 
Just be sure and rinse well after using the vingar solution, as residue will promote the growth of hair algae in your rebuild.

Do you think it would worth another bleach water rinse, to rid the tank of the vinegar residue? Thanks for the heads up on that -- algae has been the bane of my existence with my tank. I do not want to promote any form of algae whatsoever.
 
I thought I would follow up with the results of the vinegar soak. Looks shiny and fabulous, doesn't it? Great, great advice -- thank you so much!
 

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