Cleaning questions..

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Mommaof4boys

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
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346
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Indiana
I was just given a 20 gallon tank... it is absolutely filthy! I'm wondering how to clean it up... I'm soaked the filter and all the parts that would fit in my bucket in vinegar... I've used a razor blade on the top and glass, but the glass still looks really dirty, going to try baking soda next... is there any other suggestions you guys could give me? After I rinse the tank, should I clean it with bleach? Also, the seals on the corner of the tanks look gross, is there anything I can do to clean that? It looks like algae in the seal? I had it full of water and it doesn't look like it has leaks, but I'm afraid if I keep trying to scrap it off I'm going to cause a leak!! LOL Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! :thanks:
 
I was just given a 20 gallon tank... it is absolutely filthy! I'm wondering how to clean it up... I'm soaked the filter and all the parts that would fit in my bucket in vinegar... I've used a razor blade on the top and glass, but the glass still looks really dirty, going to try baking soda next... is there any other suggestions you guys could give me? After I rinse the tank, should I clean it with bleach? Also, the seals on the corner of the tanks look gross, is there anything I can do to clean that? It looks like algae in the seal? I had it full of water and it doesn't look like it has leaks, but I'm afraid if I keep trying to scrap it off I'm going to cause a leak!! LOL Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! :thanks:
I would NOT use bleach. The chemicals it contains are very dangerous to fish. I would not try to get the gunk off of the seals, or you may break them if your tool slips. I would get a piece of aluminum foil and scrape off what gunk you can. Good luck!
 
I soaked paper towels with pure vinegar and then laid them out over all of the glass, let that soak for like an hour or so, and scraped it all off. You can see the progress in my build thread. It worked surprisingly well, and the tank was FILTHY. I've heard that you can use bleach (and I actually have before) as long as you rinse really, really well and then let it completely dry. Your dechlorinator will take care of any residual bleach because after all, it is chlorine.
 
phoenixkiller said:
I would NOT use bleach. The chemicals it contains are very dangerous to fish. I would not try to get the gunk off of the seals, or you may break them if your tool slips. I would get a piece of aluminum foil and scrape off what gunk you can. Good luck!

Using bleach is fine. The residue evaporates. You can also use dechlorinator to neutralize it if you want to use the tank straight away. Done it many times.
 
Vinegar or bleach are supposed to be good. I would not scrape the seals. You may have to deal with it :(
 
Okay, well, this is what the tank looks like... this is after about 4 hours of scrubbing! I've tried to soak it in vinegar but I haven't tried soaking it with a towel soaked in vinegar! I have tried to use a razor blade to scrub it off, but it's not budging!! :( I have cleaned up everything else pretty well, although I am going to need a new under gravel filter, this one has cracks in it... It also came with a filter that hangs over the side of the tank? So, which one is it that I use??? LOL
 

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PetSmart has a metal glass scraper. I used a similar tool today, and it worked pretty well. Those look like hard water stains. You should really try the vinegar soaked paper towels and then scrape away. :)
 
PetSmart has a metal glass scraper. I used a similar tool today, and it worked pretty well. Those look like hard water stains. You should really try the vinegar soaked paper towels and then scrape away. :)

I will try the paper towels overnight and see what happens in the morning! Thank you! :)
 
Thank you all! Now if anyone has any suggestions about the filter, that would be awesome! :) Do I use the side hanging one or the under gravel one?
 
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