Cleaning Used Aquarium

tennesseemom

tennesseemom

Shrimp Herder
Nov 16, 2007
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Nashville, TN
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My mother in laws co-workers son wanted to get rid of his 55 gallon, so I grabbed it up. Went and picked it up this past weekend, was not the cleanest thing I've ever seen. It was set up in a dark corner with black gravel, brown water, no lights on. but it had 2 of the sorriest looking fish in it, and I just couldn't leave them. The filter was crusted in this thick hard white stuff that peeled off in layers. The heater looked like it had rust on it! Everything just looked to be encrusted in white crap. But like I said, I couldn't leave the fish there.

But now that it's set up at my house in a bright room, pool sand, bright lights, omg....

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The tank is set up now with the fish in it and they look so much better. Luckily I already had a 55 gallon running 2 filters on it, so I just used one of the filters on this new one.

Anyway, I don't know what to do. You can just barely see in the tank. Tried a razor, nothing. I've been reading various sites online, they all say the same thing. Vinegar! Lemon Juice! Pray!

I picked up some CLR today. I was thinking of draining like half the tank out, and trying vinegar on a cloth to see if that works. If it doesn't, how about putting a tiny dab of CLR on a qtip and rubbing in a tiny spot to see if it will work.

My thoughts are that I don't want to tear down this huge tank only to find out that neither will work on getting this hard crap off the inside of the tank. If the 2 "tests" don't work then maybe getting a new tank next month. Or something.
 
If it were me,I would just drain the whole thing out and CLR it,the "test" will have no effect because you have to let the CLR sit in order for it to take effect.
 
Its hardwater build up....you may have to soak it in vinegar to actually get any of the crust to start to come off.

I wouldnt use CLR unless you are going to scrub it out 50 times after you use it. Too many chemicals in it to be used in an aquarium if you ask me.
 
It would of been easier to clean before setting up with new substrate.
I don't use anything other than water and lots of elbow grease. A gasket scraper or putty knife will get the large chunks of calcium and a razer blade will clean up the smaller stuff. Just keep it wet to limit/prevent scratching the glass.
 
I don't mind scrubbing it out, it's going to be a nice hot weekend and I have a big backyard and a hose. So do you guys think it will work? Or at least have some improvement? I have a 28 fl oz bottle of CLR, do I empty the entire bottle in the tank, fill up the tank? how long do I let it sit?
 
What I would do is lay the tank down on it's side on towels and puddle vinegar over the whole side inside... just enough to completly wet the whole side but enough also so it won't evaporate over night. Next morning scrub it off with a scotch-brite scrubbing pad, turn it to the next side and repeat. Some build up may require repeated treatments. This works for me.

Q
 
Any acidic substance, including vinegar or citrus juice, will help. CLR is a mixture of several strong acids; it's not a big residue risk. Just rinse it out thoroughly afterwards. Obviously you should wear gloves when working with any concentrated acid to avoid skin damage.

Beyond that, glass scrapers are your friend. I live in an area with hard water, so I get to use scrapers on my tanks a lot.
 
I know when i clean off my strip light splash guards. i use CLR and a piece of regular steelwool(Kind with no Soap).And it works fantastic.
 
I'm thinking muratic acid. Fill the tank (outside), add 1 gallon muriatic acid, let it sit for a day or 2 or 7. maybe put the filter on it to help circulate (and clean the filter too).

Or lay the tank on it's side and soak each side in diluted 1:10 muriatic acid. Phosphoric or citric acid should work too, if you can get the strong stuff. Could do the same with CLR, but I'm not 100% sure if it has anything other than acids in it, and not sure how strong it is...

Follow the cautions on the bottle, whatever you use!
 
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