Is it ok to clean your aquarium with Dawn?

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jay733

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Jun 4, 2006
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My sis gave me her old empty aquarium and it's been gathering a lot of dust in the garage, for she's hasn't used it in 2 years. How should I clean this aquarium before I put any fish or ornaments inside? She said that I should not use dish washer soap such as Dawn, to clean it, which frankly I find hard to believe, and that I should just rinse it with water or use salt to clean it. Is this true?
 

Hannys_Papa

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Aug 31, 2005
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Upstate NY
Don't use ANY soaps/ detergents.
Vinegar works good on stains/ calcium buildup. Bleach (unscented) to clean and disinfect and then plenty of rinsing and letting it air dry.
 

Debra Mark

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Sep 29, 2004
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I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.....
Hot water and elbow grease works wonders.... ;)
 

Jericho

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Jul 22, 2005
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As stated no soap. Soap leaves a film that is almost impossible to remove and it is harmful to the fish.
 

fishyaddict

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Jan 25, 2006
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We use white vinegar and really hot water, then scrub well with an algae scrubber to get the stuff that doesnt just rinse right off. Then rinse real well w/more hot water. It's worked real well on all of the used tanks that we have gotten and look like they would be a headache to clean.

Even on the used 125g tank we got, i just filled it up next to the sink, put in the vinegar and some elbow grease, then did a syphen to empty out the dirty water, then just repeated to rinse it down good. After that it looked like new.

As all the others said, definitely not dish soap... it's not worth the risk when any of the other methods work just as good and are safer on the fish if any is left over in the tank.
 

jay733

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Jun 4, 2006
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oh ok, thanks guys for the tip :)
 

OrionGirl

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Aug 14, 2001
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Oxiclean is also a safe option for cleaning tanks and equipment. Fill with hot water, stir in several cups of it to dissolve, wait about 30 minutes. Scrub any stained areas. Drain, rinse. The oxiclean rinses clean quickly, no nasty residue.
 
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