Cleaning an old tank

[GumbyIl]

So my 180 is empty and now I want to get all the coralline algae off the glass, but it's hardened to cement. Scrapers are not hardly making a dent.

So do I..

Fill it up with fresh water and wait for it to soften enough to scrape?

Use vinegar to soften the calcium?

Just keep scraping?

Or is there a better method?

 

[mrbnx]

If you gave the option to fill, I filled with fresh and vinegar to help break it down. If you can't fill, soak vinegar into newspaper and plaster it on to let soak a while. Going head on is a tough feat otherwise.

 

[ArminTamzarian]

You can prop it on a side and flood one panel of glass with vinegar at a time. I would let it soak overnight using full strength vinegar. This method will have a clean tank in 4 nights.

 

[cet98]

You can prop it on a side and flood one panel of glass with vinegar at a time. I would let it soak overnight using full strength vinegar. This method will have a clean tank in 4 nights.

+1...this is the way to go IMO....180gals is a lot of water and vinegar to fill.
IME using a very hot water and vinegar mix works quickly to breakdown the coralline.
I'd use a rigid plastic scraper to eliminate any possible scratches to the glass panes

 

[lexiz1]

I agree with these guys^^^I just took my 210gal down and went thru the same process. Lay it on its side, let some vinegar soak into it, then scrape off. May want to repeat as needed. For some of the stubborn build up, I used a razor scraper. A Magic Eraser pad works great on all the residual stuff.

 

[GumbyIl]

All excellent plans. I have room to lay it down and roll it around for a few days. I'll try that first.

 

[trackfast]

All great ideas. I use vinegar in a spray bottle and would coat the sides a few times in a day. Then I would use a scraper; algae usually comes off in strips. Good luck.

 

[lexiz1]

If you gave the option to fill, I filled with fresh and vinegar to help break it down. If you can't fill, soak vinegar into newspaper and plaster it on to let soak a while. Going head on is a tough feat otherwise.

I used this method (but with paper towels) on some of my larger items that I could not soak in a bucket. Worked great.

 

[GumbyIl]

It seemed easier sliding it off the stand and standing it up by myself four years ago.

Getting old sucks.

 

[chicagoreefer20]

You could also soak an old white tshirt in vinegar and drape that over sections -