How to really clean a used tank

[Sky042]

I just picked up to used tanks for free. I need to know how to clean them. like really clean them get the mineral buildup off them and such.

 

[shelly25]

I bought a used aquarium this weekend. First I grabbed my garden hose and blasted the devil out of it. That took care of the majority of the dirt and grime. I also used a scrub pad specifically designed to remove algae.

I've read that a hard plastic razor/scraper is supposed to help remove the tougher spots. I didn't try that yet.

I did find aquarium-safe glass cleaner at Petsmart today for about $6. I'm going to try it tonight to use on the stuff I couldn't get off around the hood of the tank. It's supposed to break down algae and those nasty white crusty deposits. The instructions say to use the cleaner with a soft cloth and then to rinse thouroughly.

Never use soap. I was going to use a bleach/water solution but heard that was not a good idea either.

 

[aquarius]

i always use baking soda to clean my tanks. you can also use vinegar and water. is the tank glass or acrylic? if it's acrylic, don't scrub too hard as it might leave scratches

 

[smithrc]

did one at the weekend.. garden hose... soft scrubbing brush... and a razor algae remover (for the minerals too)

nice and clean now

 

[Sky042]

It's a glass tank.

 

[guppygirl]

I was just going to post the very same question!!! Ok, I'll try some of your suggestions. I heard that the bleach/water combination was ok, as long as you rinsed it REALLY thoroughly and smelled it. If you could smell bleach, it still had residue in it. I'm not going to try it though, not taking any chances!!!