DaveHoffman
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2014
- Messages
- 4
I had a couple 29-gal tanks in storage for years and years, and I recently got a bug to at least get one of them up again.
The one was really dirty, it had a filmy band of scum or something stretching down a few inches from the top, and another band down around where the gravel line was. Hot water and a new scouring pad didn't make a dent.
So I busted out the 409, Windex, and any other bathroom cleaner I could find to tackle soap scum, mildew, and the like. After hours of scrubbing, I got 98% of that stuff off, and it all looks clear and clean again.
I bought me some new gravel, a few new fake plants, a new power filter, and loaded it up with water a few days ago. That's where it sits.
So I started reading around the net for ideas on fish and decorating, and I ran across a mention of never using any type of cleaner in a tank, not even soap! With the thousands of warnings I've since tripped over, it would seem like common sense, and I feel a little stupid. More stupid, since I'm not new at this.
I suppose my passing thought while cleaning it was that anything harmful would dispel or get filtered out over a few days.
Advice? Should I empty everything out of it and rinse everything down.. gravel, plants, interior, everything? Or will letting the filter work for a week or two clean out any toxins?
The one was really dirty, it had a filmy band of scum or something stretching down a few inches from the top, and another band down around where the gravel line was. Hot water and a new scouring pad didn't make a dent.
So I busted out the 409, Windex, and any other bathroom cleaner I could find to tackle soap scum, mildew, and the like. After hours of scrubbing, I got 98% of that stuff off, and it all looks clear and clean again.
I bought me some new gravel, a few new fake plants, a new power filter, and loaded it up with water a few days ago. That's where it sits.
So I started reading around the net for ideas on fish and decorating, and I ran across a mention of never using any type of cleaner in a tank, not even soap! With the thousands of warnings I've since tripped over, it would seem like common sense, and I feel a little stupid. More stupid, since I'm not new at this.
I suppose my passing thought while cleaning it was that anything harmful would dispel or get filtered out over a few days.
Advice? Should I empty everything out of it and rinse everything down.. gravel, plants, interior, everything? Or will letting the filter work for a week or two clean out any toxins?