cleaning a used tank with white stains HELP

[newusedtankguy]

Hi folks i need some advice on how too get white(posibly salt stains) off a used forty gallon tank i bought from a person who used it to breed african ciclids. I have already used windex ,clr, muratic acid , alcohol.please enlighten me.
thank you,
new guy

 

[juliethegr8t]

If it's like the white stains I have, and many other people - it's probably mineral deposits, mostly calcium. The only way you can probably get rid of it is to spend some time and use a lot of elbow grease scrubbing/scraping it off. Unfortunately you've used a lot of strong chemicals on your tank, and since I assume you plan on putting fish in it eventually, please PLEASE be very diligent about rinsing it out. You'll need to get rid of any residue left from all those cleaning agents, or all your fish will die, no matter what you do. Someone else may have better ideas, but use boiling water and rinse the entire inside more than once. Good luck.

 

[AquaNut]

Like Julie said, they're almost definitely mineral deposits. I would use vinegar to get them off. However, she's also right about the cleaners you've used. I'm not sure what's in CLR, but Windex is ammonia (and other great stuff), and ammonia is extraordinarily toxic to fish. Be sure to rinse it and sterilize it over and over.

 

[canis_lupus]

u can use aquarium salt to sterilize the tank afterwards.........i have that on my tank 2 so if u find a non chemical way 2 get it off plz share

 

[baseballfan111]

a razor? and he/she might have used the windex on the outside

 

[CFC]

The vinegar is the way to go, it removes calcium deposits in no time.

 

[Alien Anna]

I agree - a bottle of white vinegar and a scraper. It's limescale, effectively.

 

[focus]

i used a stanley knife blade to clean mine with bleech i no when you say bleech every one looks like just made sure it was very well washed out after

 

[Alien Anna]

i used a stanley knife blade to clean mine with bleech i no when you say bleech every one looks like just made sure it was very well washed out after

Being a housewife I can say this on great authority: hypochlorite bleach makes limescale a lot worse! The new peroxide bleach is better from that POV, but doesn't kill germs as effectively.

I suggest you stick to bleach for germ-killing and white vinegar for getting rid of limescale.

 

[snotirl]

Is there anyway to advoid geting those stains? cause there quite annoying 8)

 

[CFC]

Is there anyway to advoid geting those stains? cause there quite annoying 8)

Yep, dont fill your tank with water

 

[snotirl]

Er......... ok

 

[Ginger726]

yep, the best way is to scrape as much off with a razor and then use vinegar to get the rest. The only real way to prevent it is to be a religious cleaner. I am guilty of letting it build up on my filters. Every few months I usually take them apart for a good scrubbing. You need something in your tank that sucks up the excess calcium. Dont know how beneficial it is to have a few snails running around. They need calcium in order to properly grow their shells. I haven't paid much attention but I have a tank with a bunch of snails in it. I am going to have to do some research on that. Whenever I get my 24 tanks set up I will take note by putting different numbers of snails in each tank and then seeing how much calcium build up I get. Maybe I will figure out something.

 

[Inchworm]

Just a word of caution. Take care using abrasives or scrapers to clean off these deposits. They can scratch surfaces, especially plastic.

 

[CFC]

Be careful that you dont damage the silicone seals of the tank when using sharp objects like razors to remove calcium/algea from the sides of your tanks, IMO there is no need to use sharp objects, a algea scouring pad from the LFS and vinegar will remove them just as well and without scratching the glass.