Cleaning a new tank

[HeulittSalmi]

What should I do to clean and sanitize a new tank I just bought off of craigslist? I dont want to use bleach and tap water and have contaminates stay in the tank from that, any ideas?

 

[Jone]

you can sanitize with bleach,,just make sure it is pure plain bleach with no added scents or fragrances,,use as much bleach as you want and rinse ,rinse VERY WELL..let the tank to FULLY dry for a day and then rinse one more time to play it safe then your good to go..
I usually do it like this,,because im paranoid..
Theres bigger things like if the used tank was treated with copper meds in the past..they will usually linger for most of the tanks life,,which will not have good effects on a reef tank,inverts

 

[thegrun]

If you rinse the tank well there should not be any residual contaminates left behind regardless of what you use. I would also use a 50% bleach 50% water mix, but if you feel that is too strong at least use white vinegar.

 

[daelie]

Depending how bad the glass is covered, you can use razor blades and just scrape down the tank. Be careful for the seams in this case, but it'll easily clean up your glass. I've done this a few times on tanks that I've sold.

 

[ClownFishGuy6]

I wouldn't use bleach if I were you just saying.

 

[OrQidz]

I think a 10% bleach solution kills just about everything. You just need to rinse well when you are done. Vinegar works well to dissolve old deposits of calcium and salt and general gunk. If the tank is already all dried out, it's doubtful there are any lurking germs to worry about...if it's still wet I would clean it out, scrub with some white vinegar and water (tap is fine) then clean again with tap water/bleach. Then, rinse well, fill with plain old tap water for a leak test. If all goes well, drain and you are good to go to set up for real. Then, you should use RO for your setup.

A razor blade is great for cleaning as mentioned (if it's a glass tank, not acrylic) but I always get my fingers nicked. An aquarium scraper is a little easier, and has a handle as well. Acrylic scratches, so use things that are safe if your tank is acrylic.

 

[DBR_reef]

I use muriatic acid diluted 10:1. add the acid to the water. cheapest and quickest way to clean