Homemade Glass cleaner..

[MT79]

...works better than windex! I've always used commercial glass cleaners to wipe my tank w/. I recently tried an RO/DI, vinegar mix. It cuts the salt better and does not leave streaks like windex, etc. always would. And it's cheaper and safer. I used a 7/1 ratio of water to distilled white vinegar, I'd probably use less vinegar in the future. Just thought I would share, I was honestly surprised by how well it works. No more salty streaks..

[EELectric]

Thanks I should try this sometime! Is it at all harmful to fish or corals?

[Marc118]

I think he is referring to cleaning the exterior. I will have to give this a try. I usually just use water and some elbow grease

[MT79]

Vinegar is used in kalkwasser by people to up the Ca/Alk level of the solution, so it's literally dosed into the tank. It will also fuel anaerobic nitrifying bacteria, and help them convert NO3 to a gas, so it easily leaves the aquarium. It's not harmful, but when purposely dosing it, it can cause some issues- ie bacteria blooms that consume O2. Some mist from the spray will not be enough to risk/cause any negative effects. In fact it may help..

[morgan24]

i'm sure its alot better than windex. I heard that the glass in our aquariums is porus and that over time windex will get into your system and create a hole lot of problems. Don't know if its true or not, but i bet the vinegar is alot better. Good job

[EELectric]

-Yeah I didnt mean adding it into the aquarium, but if small amounts enter the aquarium what would happen. Thanks for your answers I should definately try this!

-Thanks!

[MT79]

Originally Posted by morgan24

I heard that the glass in our aquariums is porus and that over time windex will get into your system and create a hole lot of problems

There was a thread, on this and another forum, where this myth was debunked. One good point is the pressure of the water would be pushing out. You would see water on the outside of the tank, more so than things being absorbed into it. It's just not true, but many people seem to have heard it.

Cleans glass and improves water quality, try my "Reef Magic" glass cleaner! In a LFS near you -for 10x the actual cost. J/K

[Ziggy953]

Water and vinegar is an old-timers glass cleaner...that along with newspaper. The only thing that sucks about the vinegar is the smell! Thanks for the info though!!!

[MT79]

^right, that's how I heard about it. I had always just assumed it would not work as well as windex though, but I was pleasnalty surprised.

[Ziggy953]

Oh, you are right...it is probably the BEST way to clean glass, I just don't like the smell...But I guess if it is diluted enough it should be that bad.....

[ellisz]

I have been using vinegar and water to clean the glass and I spray down the stand and canopy too. Got to get those drip marks off the wood ...

[Devilishturtles]

Thanks for the tip! I have just been using windex or water, but it always leaves streaks. I'll try vinegar and water.