New Tank! Now How To Clean

[mwood2]

so I got my new tank and it is bigger then I expected. Its a 50 gallon long and now I need to clean it. When I first got it, it looked really scummy on the inside and has a bunch of gravel and ornaments I didn't need. So I vacuumed all the gravel out and tossed some water inside and am scrubbing it down. What should i use to scrub the tank down with?

As for the filtration, It came with a brand new marine land filter. Its the Bio Wheel power filter for 75 gallon tanks. I'm not sure about what type of substance I want since I'm going for a planted tank with DP, Louch, Cory, Oto and maybe some other depending on the DP. I will be doing a fishless cycle as soon as I get the tank cleaned and the filter set up. I have a hood with lighting a well.

Is there anything else I should think about? Pics of the tank below.

 

[nosoup4you]

Vinegar does a really nice job of cleaning off hard water/algae spots.

 

[mwood2]

well im trying vinegar right now and alot still isnt coming off, alot of older gunk seems to remain and the glass isnt clear. I have been using a sos pad to scrub the sides also. Anything else I can try?

Also how much vinegar are we talking. I dumped some water into the tank to help wipe it down and then poured vinegar inside and started to wipe down the glass.

 

[nosoup4you]

I usually use straight vinegar but if that isn't working, you could try some bleach water. Just make sure that you rinse the tank well afterward.

 

[Schmill]

Heat the vinegar, (white wine vinegar is best), it will stink like you wouldn't believe, but it seriously eats through hard water marks, (chalky kettles etc), not sure what it will do for the algae though!

 

[mwood2]

cool, will pick some up after work.

 

[kevinthecow]

OMG!

Do you have those proper scrubbing things for tanks? If so, i recommend you buy them. they work well with algae.


Also : Wow mwood! 5g - 50g? I guess maybe the molly can go with the rest of the guys!

 

[Syphoniera]

well im trying vinegar right now and alot still isnt coming off, alot of older gunk seems to remain and the glass isnt clear. I have been using a sos pad to scrub the sides also. Anything else I can try?

Also how much vinegar are we talking. I dumped some water into the tank to help wipe it down and then poured vinegar inside and started to wipe down the glass.

Hi, mwood, I mostly buy second-hand stuff and can empathize.
I really just wanted to mention that if you're using an actual SOS pad with soap, (rather than plain fine steel wool,) that stuff sticks to surfaces and can be really hard to rinse.
For really bad deposits, as already suggested by nosoup4you, if vinegar and aquarium salt don't make a dent in the gunk, I've used a bleach soak, but these were smaller tanks and the number of rinses and the amount of Prime or other declor used is pretty massive.
And hard-water build-up on that otherwise beautiful tank looks scary.
But I've got used tanks where nothing took off terrible-looking mineral deposits on the glass, (granted, I have problems with my arms/hands and can't scrub much for long) and found that once water was added they didn't tend to show, even though the view through was blocked when dry.
And I seem to recall hearing something about baking soda (or powder - whichever one kids used to use in toy volcanos) and vinegar being combined once on a surface, with the reaction helping to remove some deposits.
Might be worth a non-toxic try?
Good luck, anyway.
That tank should look great once it's set up!

 

[tylerv9]

Like Syphoniera mentioned, I would try using baking soda and vinegar. I usually use that method on steel wool and it hasn't failed me yet! For real caked on dirt, you could try using a razor blade edge, being careful of course.

 

[Tolak]

Start with the vinegar, and a plastic pot scrubber. If that doesn't work, CLR is the next step.

For really nasty tanks, Sno-Bowl toilet bowl cleaner is about as strong a cleaner as you can get.

*****Disclaimer*****

This stuff is strong hydrochloric acid. Use only in a well ventilated area, with safety goggles, long sleeves, and heavy rubber gloves. It will remove skin. It will give off fumes that will seriously irritate your lungs.

I use it outdoors, squirt it on, rub it in, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Rinse realy well with a hose, double up on dechlorinator when filling. Go easy around the seams, it will soften them. I have used this on several tanks.

Sometimes the lime buildup will actually etch the glass given enough time, if this is the case it is permanent. This is usually seen on the inside, when you fill past the etched part it fades quite a bit.

 

[mwood2]

So I came home with a ful jug of vinegar and some baking soda. I poured the jug in, tossed in baking soda and began scrubing the crap out of it but to no success. Alot of the crap is still on there.

So what should my next step be? I also filled the aquarium with water to see how it looked but it still looked pretty bad. I am looking for the best way to get the tank sparking clean even if I have to use chemicals. Also if i do use chemicals how much work will it be before I can start my fishless cycle.

 

[Truck]

try an old razor blade

 

[mwood2]

tried putty knife and exacto knife and nada. Nothing came off even when I put the blade right through it.

 

[nosoup4you]

I know from experience that the toilet bowl cleaner mentioned above will remove the water stains pretty much instantly but it will take a whole lot of rinsing to be sure that all residual is removed. Once it is rinsed completely you can go ahead and start your fishless cycle immediately. It wouldn't hurt to chuck some activated carbon in your filter to remove anything else that might be lingering. Please make sure you read Tolak's disclaimer above.

 

[drobbyb]

Try a bleach soak. Fill up the tank and add a good amount of bleach, about a 10 to 1 ratio where the one is bleach. Let it sit for 24 hours. At the end of 24 hours drain the tank and have a scrub on the inside. Don't scrub the seals too hard. The bleach will have dissolved the solids ao that they come off easy.