cleaning an old tank

[Mickey13]

any miracle mixtures to clean the biological crud off an old tank?

have been using a scraper and metal scrub pad, but its going very slowly.

thinking about breaking out the orbital sander, can try wet sanding maybe


its 4k to 12k speed, maybe too much?

 

[ryeguyy84]

On the glass? Magic eraser should work

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Oldreeferman]

Cleaning vinegar and some clean water diluted 50/50 is all you need & let it soak for a few hrs. breaks down all coralline and lime/calcium.Then it easily comes off with a gentler approach like a plastic scraper & a sponge, a metal scrubber pad will ruin the glass or acrylic finish scratching it big time.

 

[Mickey13]

thanks guys, just a sump so not too worried about it. used 100% vinegar to get it clean finally. mostly anyway.

 

[mcgyvr]

Vinegar can be a very effective cleaner...

Vinegar is also known to soften silicone/elastomer seals which can lead to tank/equipment failure.

Its a balancing act and one may want to favor good old elbow grease vs vinegar exposure in projects like this..

 

[Dalbery]

Muratic acid is safer for seals and works way faster. Never clean your pumps with vinegar. It can kill them!!

 

[Mickey13]

not sure I'd use any acid to clean a pump even if diluted to safe levels. I usually just use water and a toothbrush. let it soak as long as needed in h2o.

this was just an old tank I'm gonna use for a sump. I cleaned it up and resealed the corners without taking it apart and added 4 or 5 baffles. it should hold up ok

 

[aquabarbiegirl]

Found this thread that brought me to this forum. While I was reading about tank cleaning.

Vinegar can be a very effective cleaner...

Vinegar is also known to soften silicone/elastomer seals which can lead to tank/equipment failure.

Its a balancing act and one may want to favor good old elbow grease vs vinegar exposure in projects like this..

This is what I'm also aware of - that it is quite good for cleaning. However it seems to have it's side effects. And quite a few of them.

Muratic acid is safer for seals and works way faster. Never clean your pumps with vinegar. It can kill them!!

Is this true? I have read that vinegard sort of "eats them up" but had no idea that it is so bad.

Why it keeps poping up as recommended method for cleaning in that case? :hmm2:

Or is it always considered to be "safe use" for cleaning of tank but considered to be diluted with water?

 

[Dalbery]

Yes you dilute like 10:1 with water