Cleaning an old tank

[Barday]

Hi All,

I just bought a tank and it's a bit dirty. I was wondering what to use to clean it. I was thinking of warm soapy water and rinsing it out really well after. Is this the best way to do it? or is there anything better I should be using?

 

[The-Wolf]

Avoid soap!
use a razor blade for encrusted scale and just plain warm water & elbow grease
for the rest.
For really stubbon bits clean with white vinegar, but remember to rinse really well afterwards.

 

[Barday]

Won't the razor scratch the glass?

 

[babyfish]

Use warm salt water and kitchen foil (scrunched up) to really scrub the tank... the kitchen foil will remove any limescale deposits and the salt will act as a natural antiseptic...rinse well

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Barday

I would just use salt on a sponge to clean it unless it had a lot of mineral deposits on it. Then I would pour a bit of white vinegar on and let it set for a few minutes before rubbing with a plastic scrubber pad.

If you are really unsure about it, a very mild solution of chlorine bleach could be used, but be sure to rinse it very well and let it dry completely before setting it up.

 

[Barday]

There are some very heavy mineral deposits on it, not only on the tank but on the hood as well. Thanks for the advice.

As for setting up the tank once it's clean, do I still need to cycle if I use water from an established tank? Also, I use the fluval internal filtration system. I was gonna put a polyester pad in my current one, let it get a bit grubby take it out and put it in the new one for a couple of days to sort out the filter bacteria too.

 

[babyfish]

Try to use some gravel from your established tank....water doesn't carry the good bacteria...it lives on surfaces.

If both the filters are the same then simply swap one of the sponges over making sure you put the "dirty" sponge at the bottom of the new filter.

By half filling with water from your od tank it will be the same as doing a 50% water change... try and store the new water overnight with an airstone to dissipate any gasses.

Add some fish straight away to keep the bacteria alive

 

[Barday]

Thanks Babyfish, Unforunately the filters are a different size because my new tank has a larger capacity so I bought a larger filter, which is why I was going to just use the polly filter. As for the gravell, I'm gonna keep the other tank running, with the fish I currently have, so I didn't want to take any out. What I might do though is transfer a couple of rocks I have in the old one, to the new one. Do you think that would be enough? I was gonna put some Pred fish in the new one not sure what to get yet though.

So you think I should put fish in straight away? I was gonna let it run for a couple of days first, just to establish it's self a bit, but I suppose a couple of guppies wouldn't do any harm!

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[hellohefalump]

use a lemon! Cut a lemon in half and scrub with it, then go back over it with water and it's really good for watermarks. and lemon's aren't posionous to fish... careful to rinse properly though - could this affect the ph??

 

[chkltcow]

use a lemon! Cut a lemon in half and scrub with it, then go back over it with water and it's really good for watermarks. and lemon's aren't posionous to fish... careful to rinse properly though - could this affect the ph??

It could, but I highly doubt it. Citric acid is... well... acidic. But, the amount you'd get on there would be trivial, and it would probably all rinse off or dilute down to nothing.

 

[Barday]

Hmmmmm, Lemmons huh! Sounds good. I'll give it a try!

Thanks!

 

[Elgonte]

Know what works better than lemons? Lemon juice! Then you don't have to worry about pulp and seeds.