Clean the outside of the tank?

[Def]

Here's a question. How does everyone clean the *outside* of their tank? I sprayed some windolene onto a cloth to try and rub some smears/dried drips off the front of the tank. As soon as I put the cloth on the glass and rubbed, all my platties went beserk... They swam off really fast and hid, and were stressed out for over an hour. They came out and swam around normally after, but it gave me a scare.

Anyone else have the same problem? How do you clean the outside of the glass if it stresses the fish so badly?

 

[millym]

hi there
our tiger barbs freak when i clean the outside of our tank so i try to do it as quickly as poss. the best thing ive found is white vinegar (i use white wine vinegar as its always in the cupboard for cooking) mix a little with water on a piece of kitchen towel wipe all over your tank (outside only of course) & then use dry kitchen towel to dry, it'll come up sparkling clean & is vv quick so your not bothering your fish for any longer than you have to. its well worth a try

 

[Vip]

I dip the end of the towel in the water then wipe a section of the glass, then with a dry towel i wipe it clean.

 

[Ben]

thanx for the tip millym,

but dont use a spray clean type thing, i used it once on my 20 gal all my fish died

 

[Cavafish]

I use either vinegar or windolene depending on what I have at the time. Be very aware that windolene is probably dangerous to the fishes so ensure that the tank covers are on properly, I cover the tank top with a cloth as well to be sure.

Wipe the tank over SLOWLY and start at one end. I find that they may initially all go to the other end of the tank but if I dont get too quick with my movements that they are ok. I have bala sharks and these guys spook real easy believe me but so long as they are at the other end before i start rubbing they dont mind too much.

HTH

Cava

 

[Netherways]

Hi,

I use "dry wipes" you can get to clean computer monitors or camera lenses, totally non toxic and you just move it over the glass (Acrylic in my case) once and its done.

My fish go crazy if I use a normal towel or toilet paper. Could it be the vibration of the fibers against the side of the glass stress the fish?

In any case I would reccomend "dry wipes" of some sort, Give your local photographic shop (Jessops in England is best) and you can get a pack of about 75 for about £3, one of the wipes will easily do about 30gal worth of tank.

 

[Logitech]

I use a soft cloth and some water to clean off fingerprints and dried water-spots on the outside of my tank. I don't use cleaners but from time to time, I'll probably put a little dab of Windex or 409 Glass & Surface Cleaner. My mollies don't seem to mind. They actually try to follow the cloth as I'm cleaning it.

 

[K-Holed]

The best thing for getting smears off the front of the glass is a chamois cloth (the type that window cleaners use) they're amazing!

 

[Netherways]

K-Holed,

I tried that before but I find that if the glass is cold, like if you have had a window open before hand, they can cause streaks. So if you are going to use that I would suggest warming the cloth up on a radiator/dryer before using.
(Plus a Chamois Leather (Shammy to you and me) costs about £4.50 from your local Halfords)

Alex

{Edited for Idiotic mistakes}

 

[Def]

Some good ideas there, thanks... I know about the poisoning thing that's why I make sure the lid is shut (I have effectively a double lid, a hinged wooden top and inside underneath it some sliding glass covers) and only spray gently directly onto a cloth.... I'll try some wipes and do it very slowly...

 

[parker313]

I also clean the outside by spraying some Windex right onto the paper towel, making sure I'm facing away from the aquarium!

I try to live with some smudges and fingerprints. I have an 18 month old son so if I tried to keep it spot free, I'd be fighting a losing battle

 

[SarahBravo]

I do windolene onto a microfibre cloth, and clean slowly. I also do it with the room lights and tank lights off. I maybe don't get every single smudge, but the fish mostly ignore me, so I can live with that!

Sarah

 

[StrontiumDog]

millym Sep 13 2004, 12:16 PM

the best thing ive found is white vinegar (i use white wine vinegar as its always in the cupboard for cooking) mix a little with water on a piece of kitchen towel wipe all over your tank (outside only of course) & then use dry kitchen towel to dry, it'll come up sparkling clean & is vv quick so your not bothering your fish for any longer than you have to. its well worth a try

This works for me even though i use brown vinegar