Cleaning my xxl900 Is it safe?

[dogstsx]

Just picked up a year old xxl900 yesterday. The guy only had freshwater in the tank and let it go. There is some green algae on the glass and some deposits on the upper part of the overflow and glass. I did fill the tank up last night about 5 inches until it reached the overflow with regular water. I have read that regular magic erasers are ok to use and will not scratch the glass (TRUE?). Also read baking soda will also help? I have used regular white vinegar to clean skimmers, pumps and plastics however I can not find an amount of vinegar to add to the tank with water to help clean everything out. I do have enough power heads for great flow. Questions is, how many gallons of vinegar to add to the water for a decent cleaning and how many days should it sit with the power heads on? Any help would be great guys. Thanks.

 

[griss]

You will want to make sure the previous owner never treated the tank with copper. Copper can get into the silicone an leach out over time.

I don't know about the magic eraser as I've never used one in a tank but, I would assume it's safe.

For the vinegar, although I've never used it to clean an entire tank, I've always heard a 50/50 ration of vinegar to water. I've always just used a straight razor blade to stubborn algae from the galss.

 

[wvned]

Use the vinegar straight. Put it on a rag and wipe the white stuff. It may or may not come off. If it doesn't try again with muriatic acid from Home Depot, 1 cup to a gallon of cool water while using gloves and good ventilation. If that doesn't work there is a good possibility the glass has etched and it won't come off.
Magic erasers are melamine abrasives. I have used them in my tanks without problems. The sponge actually polishes things clean by abrasion.

 

[dogstsx]

I asked about the copper and that was a no. Actually that was the first thing I asked as he has a few other reef tanks. Thanks for the advise guys, I'll get to cleaning as soon as I get home