I'm Stuck - Please help !

[nagukush]

Hi Friends !

Now that I have the top layer substrate as Sand, I cant use my Mag-Float Magnetic Scrapper, because I'm afraid that the sand could come in between the magnets and scratch my acrylic tank...

Theres a lot of algae growing on the acrylic surfaces and I want to wipe it away desperately... Kindly guide me on what should be done to do this without scratching the acrylic...

Should I do it manually then ? Will a soft cloth or a thin sheet of sponge be effective ? I dont want to stick my whole hand inside the tank (which I will have to do to reach the bottom) - is it safe to put the whole hand inside ?

Kindly guide me friends - I badly need help...
Regards and Care
Kush

[zzyzx85]

If you do not have any open wounds or sores on your hands and arms, it is safe to put your hands in the tank. However, if you remain cautious about doing this, you may want to invest in a pair of long gloves that cover up past your elbows.

[bghill]

An old credit/debit card works well.

[nagukush]

If you do not have any open wounds or sores on your hands and arms, it is safe to put your hands in the tank. However, if you remain cautious about doing this, you may want to invest in a pair of long gloves that cover up past your elbows.

Hi there !

Thanks for the reply - actually I'm not afraid for myself (I wouldnt mind a skin rash or two :) but I'm worried that the skin oils may pollute the water and harm my fish... so is it ok to put the hand inside the tank water then ? Will a thin sheet of sponge clean the algae & stains effectively on acrylic or should I use something else... Kindly advice...

[THE V]

As long as you wash your hands before you put them in the tank, you are nontoxic. My goldfish are so used to my hands being in the tank that I've got to push them out of the way as I'm working.

[YoFishboy]

I've got me hands in me tanks 'til I'm pruny! LOL.....I just rinse off my hands without soap before I start tooling around in the tanks. Most the time, gloves don't give me the grip or feel I need when I'm doing stuff in the tank. As far as cleaning the acrylic tank goes, you can buy cleaning pads specifically for acrylic tanks at any decent pet shop.

[Rbishop]

It shouldn't be a problem as long as you go slow with the mag..

[dudley]

I have a glass tank, Colorquartz S-grade sand & a Mag float. When cleaning close to the bottom, I unfortunately got some sand between the glass & Mag-float and scratched the glass noticeably.

So what I do now, is move the sand away from the glass about an inch, wait for it to settle and then use the Mag-float to clean the glass. I try to use a slow back & forth motion to avoid stirring up the sand. This method seems to work well for me. When I'm done, I just push the sand back toward the front glass and all is well.