coping with windex in tank

Steve Canyon

New member
As many times as I've ranted and railed to the wife and daughter about care in using cleaning products, air freshener plug ins, furnature polish, ANY chemicals around MY tank, in MY man cave tank room / game room....ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I don't even allow someone with perfume in my room!!!
She just had to clean the window behind my tank. You know. The one with the windowsill the cat likes to lay on? All full of cat hair and ^%$# that no one could ever see? Well, needless to say I now have a full confession and a better understanding of why I occasionally have.....issues. Over the years I've come to believe I simply wasn't dilagent enough to maintain the kind of tank I used to keep without issue. I'd transitioned from an extremely heavily stocked fish and mixed LPS SPS and softies that was a showpiece... to what I've come to accept as an extremley heavily stocked fish softie tank. Nothing spectacular anymore for me.
So anyway... I get home from my normal long day of work today around my normal time (about 9pm- left the house this morning at the usual 5:30am) and the couple pcs I have left that are truely nice (gorgs) are completely retracted. Never seen anything like this. My first question to the wifey poo was along the lines of "hey baby, how was your day today? The house looks great! It looks like you've really gone at haven't you."

Sooo let's cut to the chase.
in the last hour and a half-
I swapped in a new filter sock.
I did a 55 gallon water change.
I replaced my semi-fresh carbon in my big reactor with about 6 cups of new.
I replaced my semi-fresh purigen in my small reactor with about 1 cup of recycled.
I haven't touched my other large reactor that I keep charged with phosban.
I intend to do another 55 gallon change sunday.
What else would you recommend that won't get me in trouble with family court?

I'm thinking along the lines of building a new house with a big basement. with a separate area for my tanks ansht. and a lock on the door.
How do you suppose that'll work out for me?
 
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i can feel your frustration coming across the interwebs. i dont know how to rectify your current situation but i offer my sympathies.

i decided to put a glass canopy on my tank despite all of the issues it causes. hopefully that can reduce the effects of at least one mishap like you experienced today.
 
I feel your pain man, my wife cleaned the tank with Windex once after being asked nicely not to. I yelled, she cried (not my intent :(, if you're reading this I love you honey) and it never happened again. The main issue with windex is that it is ammonia based, so you could add polyfilter or any other number of ammonia binding products (e.g. amquel). Other than that you've done about all you can. Hang in there!
 
Hi Steve, you could redo your tank at my house. No one uses chemicals near my tank... but then again, a treasure chest, regal tang, blue spot stingray, hammer head shark and a humpback whale all have ended up in my 5 gallon tank this week... oh! and one remote control to our entertainment system. one of these items knocked over a torch coral that "torched" a hole in my Meteor Shower Cyphastrea coral.

So, it's 1:34am, should I do a water change? Cully, any suggestions?
 
Wow man sorry to hear. you know whats weird though i have used windex to clean the outside glass on every tank I have had for over 10 years never a issue. I must be lucky
 
Hi Steve, you could redo your tank at my house. No one uses chemicals near my tank... but then again, a treasure chest, regal tang, blue spot stingray, hammer head shark and a humpback whale all have ended up in my 5 gallon tank this week... oh! and one remote control to our entertainment system. one of these items knocked over a torch coral that "torched" a hole in my Meteor Shower Cyphastrea coral.

So, it's 1:34am, should I do a water change? Cully, any suggestions?

My parents use a vacuum sealer for their remotes to keep out pet hair and spilled liquids. That might help you.

Wow man sorry to hear. you know whats weird though i have used windex to clean the outside glass on every tank I have had for over 10 years never a issue. I must be lucky

It really comes down to technique. You are probably very careful about overspray. Personally, I don't care for Windex. I found that Invisible Glass is easier to use without streaks, though I use RODI and vinegar on my tank.
 
Cully, any suggestions?

Sorry, ER was running a special on lawn mower injuries last night. 2 fingers and a toe.

I'm confused? Did she spill Windex into the tank? Or is it the mere use around the tank that has you miffed?

I used to use it all the time, but the bottom line is, I don't care for the stuff. I use vinegar and water on the glass. No streaks. Plus, the added benefit to the tank should any spill in.

It's my understanding that the main ingredient in Windex is ammonia? (Have to double check that). If its a spill you're trying to manage, it sounds like you've countered appropriately. The nitrobacter in your tank should help you out, I'd think.

Do you have an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kit? Be interesting to see results of those.

Only other suggestion I have is to rent an apartment for all of your dude stuff.
 
windex or whatever. I don't want commercial cleaning products around it. I use the strongest white vinager to clean my glass and surfaces. It works great.
Don't get me wrong here folks. She's a sweetheart, doing her best. Keeping the cleanest house I could ask for....
 
Steve- I hear ya

Steve- I hear ya

*But in these Windex related threads I gotta say that I've been using Windex around my aquarium for 20 years and I don't see anything bad happening because of it- and I'm SURE "overspray" has made it into my aquarium.
The Windex thing belongs on that mythbuster show (IMO/IME)*

Now...

what is any woman doing CLEANING in a guy's man cave fish room?

She must be extremely brave and loving :hmm5:
 
If I were you, I'd sit down with your wife and explain exactly why you don't want any commercial cleaning products around your tank. Tell her you'd be willing to clean anything that's around your tank as a compromise. That way, you won't have to worry about her using anything around the tank that might affect it, and she won't have to worry about a dirty area. Win win in my opinion.
 
tell her you need tog et a bigger tank since the windex gets into the glass and will leach out over time you never know it might work haha then you get a new tank and she will never use windex near it again lol
 
x2

x2

If I were you, I'd sit down with your wife and explain exactly why you don't want any commercial cleaning products around your tank. Tell her you'd be willing to clean anything that's around your tank as a compromise. That way, you won't have to worry about her using anything around the tank that might affect it, and she won't have to worry about a dirty area. Win win in my opinion.



fwiw... a former someone that used to be dear to me used to try and KILL things in my aquarium with.. uh.... stuff.
Windex is very diluted IMO/IME

Take Mrs. Canyon to dinner! :)
 
fwiw... a former someone that used to be dear to me used to try and KILL things in my aquarium with.. uh.... stuff.

Windex is very diluted IMO/IME :)

I'd be beyond ****ed off if someone tried to kill things in my aquarium.....:blown:

FWIW, I use windex to clean the glass as well. I just spray it on a towel, and then wipe the glass down to minimize the risk of getting any in the tank. I don't lose too much sleep over it though....with the cat hair/dander that probably ends up in the tank, as well as candles or incense being burned in the room with the tank on occasion, and everything being ok, I'm sure at some point in time, worse things have ended up in the tank compared to a bit of windex.
 
I'd be beyond ****ed off if someone tried to kill things in my aquarium.....:blown:
one of my friends suggested I get on the show SURVIVOR :)

but this thread isn't about me.
I think it's FANTASTIC that Steve's wife was actually cleaning.
I dread cleaning a kid's bedroom. I can't imagine being a wife entering the MAN CAVE FISH ROOM!
 
If I were you, I'd sit down with your wife and explain exactly why...n.

You may have missed the very 1st thing i wrote.... being a girl, you probably didnt understnd though. Im sure the guys realize the manspeak vs the way this whole deal went down:hmm4:

For instance-

The "hey baby...." bit was probably more along the lines of "*** did you do to the tank!!
 
You may have missed the very 1st thing i wrote.... being a girl, you probably didnt understnd though. Im sure the guys realize the manspeak vs the way this whole deal went down:hmm4:

For instance-

The "hey baby...." bit was probably more along the lines of "*** did you do to the tank!!
:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
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