cleaning a tank

Welcome to AC!

What size tank is it.

You shoud try and find a thick scrubber, or scraper. Try scraping it off, you could also try soap, but be sure to clean it thorughly of soap before you add water. I'm sure someone else can tune in and help a little more than I have.

First- don't use soap!
Ever!
On anything to do with your fish/fish stuff/aquarium.
I hate even doing dishes when I know I am going to be servicing a tank that day.

Second- a little salt in some water can work wonders as far as cleaning up a used aquarium.
Any crusty built-up mineral scale can be wiped away with a touch of diluted vinegar on an aquarium safe rag.

If it is really bad add some chlorine (like Chlorox bleach- plain, not scented or "ultra") to the water and scrub with an aquarium safe acrubber/algae pad. Course you'll have to rinse and rinse, and rinse until there's no chlorine smell, then fill it up with water, add chlorine remover, then toss the water.

Then the tank will be ok.

i was just wondering how long i should let it set dry to kill all the fungus / bacteria / parisistes

Click to expand...

A couple of days drying in good sun shouldn't hurt assuming nothing new got in, but it's not necessary- the chlorine would have taken care of anything pathogenic.
However Grandma swore by drying in the sun- so maybe there's something to it. Just rinse it after.

And thanks