Dana Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hi all. Well my first post, I have been reading for a short while with interest. Although an intro, I have a question so please excuse my short novel... My Father who passed 2 years ago was a tad obsessed with aquariums. He was a paraplegic so my weekends were pretty much consumed with water changes. Most kids get grounded, If I did anything wrong I was handed the smallest tube he could find and a 3 ltr bowl I haven't touched a tank (aside from my 3 year old's 28 ltr) in over 15 years. I'm a single mum, work full time, study at night and have finally given in to the love of balance. I've picked up a cheap 5 year old AR980. The photo really doesn't show how bad it's current state is. I've decided to give the DIY 3D background a shot after reading the older posts on the topic. I'll post some pics of my progress if not for your interest, then for your entertainment lol My question is, although the tank will be cycled numerous times re chemicals, what's the best method to remove very old, dry and stubborn algae and calcium? It's everywhere. The people were lovely, but the tank has already been scratched in their attempt to tidy it up. This will be a fairly time consuming project before I even entertain the idea of fish...Oh, which will be a community tank..(fingers crossed this image upload behaves... IMG_0798 by danaj2009, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hi and welcome Snapfish doesn't work well with forums, try flickr or the like. Not sure of the best way to clean the glass except to soak it and then maybe vinegar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 And finally the link works...Thanks, haven't tried Flickr before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 oh wow, you have your work cut out for you. best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 That should clean up the 980's are a nice size tank i just finished setting one up recently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Yes, certainly a project but I'm in no rush. Cleaning it properly without leaving residue is my main concern. Might give the vinegar a go. There are also some baking soda recipies designed to clean build up out of washing machines, they might be a good idea. Although I did learn a while ago that mixing baking soda and vinegar is not a good idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmillanm Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Baking soda & vinegar gets a cool 'volcano' effect that I used to use at kindy. It produces a foam but not sure if it will clean old algae up. HTH & GL with cleaning up your 980! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy-fish Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hi Dana, welcome aboard! :thup: Found this article, hope it helps... What can you use to safely clean the glass? Vinegar. There are a rare few commercial window glass cleaners made out of vinegar that do not contain ammonia, but they can be difficult to find and are costly. But why not make your own? You can make an excellent window glass cleaner from ½ cup of ordinary white vinegar dissolved in ½ gallon of distilled water. You can purchase clean, brand new spray bottles in the Big Box store, and you can add your home-made window cleaner to the brand new spray bottle. Mark this bottle for aquarium cleaning purposes, and your fish will be perfectly safe. Well, wait a minute… you don’t have to confine use of your home-made spray to the aquarium. Actually, you’ll discover that your homemade glass cleaner works very nicely on all glass surfaces, including windows and mirrors. Once you use this homemade cleaner, you probably won’t want to buy expensive commercial glass cleaners again. Last, how about those unsightly white deposits that accumulate on the cover of the aquarium, or on the black plastic trim? Well, your homemade vinegar glass cleaner works there as well, only you don’t want to spray it directly on the aquarium surfaces above the water. Instead, spray a little on a clean cloth and use that to wipe down the top of the aquarium. It will remove those white hard water deposits on the aquarium, restoring the cover to a like-new appearance. Even if a couple of drops of your homemade vinegar spray should enter the water column, it won’t be toxic to your fish, and it won’t upset your water balance. Natural buffers in your water will very quickly neutralize the acetic acid in the vinegar, and no harm will come from it. Keeping your aquarium clean and sparkling is easy and safe. And now you know how to do it without investing wads of money in expensive aquarium cleaning supplies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Very handy article. Thanks so much I'll make a dent this weekend. Here's hoping it's sunny so I can fry the build up on the components. I've had some plastics react to vinegar in the past so I might be cautious on that side. Wonder if Meths would help re the glass. Evaporates so a good clear should take the dye...? Also interested to see how the in-hood filter goes. A bit pessimistic but we shall see. Will pick up a Fluval if I'm not happy with the result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinox Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 good luck! i just used lots of hot soaking water and a tooth brush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 The Aqua One built in filters have done the job just fine for me in the past. I have tried vinegar, baking soda, commercial glass cleaner, all to no avail on my tank. I got told that if i could soak the glass in vinegar it might work, but I had no way of testing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I tried using lemons ( cut and rub ) on the hard water deposits in my shower glass, and that didn't work. Gave in and used a commercial cleaning agent. Still hard work though. But if you keep a tank with slightly acidic water, the calcium carbonate will just dissolve in time; at least where it is in contact with the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karina Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 How about 1 part bleach to 10 parts water? I have used this for my tanks and tank ornaments etc for 20 odd years and have had no probs. I have a ar850 that I bought second hand that was a salt water tank. Bleach mix got rid off all the built up calcium. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hi there. where are u based. please don't use purple meths as this has toxins added so it is not drunk and these may harm fish. try white vinager which will also be removed with ur water change washing of tank. hth. nav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 hi and welcome. i have found if you set up well in the beginning then only a limited amount of time is required for maintenance. Any ideas of what sort of fish you want to keep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Right...vinegar isn't working, neither is lemon. Fairly sure the baking soda laughed at me. Toothbrush wore out after 20 mins LOL. Calcium gently chipping off the outer framework but this isn't an option for the glass. So, can we use any chemical cleaners in any way that is safe? Between sorting the tank, background etc it will probably be a couple of months before I introduce fish. I'm patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Sadly, scrubbing it wont do any good - Elbow grease wont help. Good luck with commercial cleaners - let me know how you get on. I gave up and just put poly on that side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 my grandad had a tank like this, except way worse, he found paint stripper worked when all else failed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Paint stripper? I'm not sure i'm that brave! I'm calling my grandma. They have a solution for cleaning everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 What about CLR - calcium lime rust remover? You can buy it at Bunnings last time I checked. Might be worth a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted March 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 I came across a very knowledgeable person at Bunnings this afternoon who was very aware of chemical residue and evaporation times etc. We went through about 7-8 different options and we both agreed that CLR is probably the best option. Should be ok as long as it is flushed over a period of time, and given the chance to stand inbetween each flush. Should be fine as long as the filter isn't involved. I'll give it a go and post a pic of the result. They also have a few broken sheets of 80mm poly that they're willing to sell for cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 I have found these razors very effective in removing scale if used gently. They are flexible and very thin and bend before they scratch. I used a couple of layers of masking tape to cover one side of the blade to make it safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I have used coca cola to clean and that worked okay, but vinegar and elbow grease work well too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I I used a couple of layers of masking tape to cover one side of the blade to make it safe. :facepalm: if you have the misfortune to accidentally place pressure on the sharp edge, that safety masking tape aint gonna do bugger-all to curb the blades new found enthusiasm for your delicate flesh... Use a piece of metal the right length (tin lid works good, just be careful cutting), folded over the edge you don't want blood on, and then some masking tape to hold the blade in... you can purchase/find/beg/steal/borrow specific units for this task, but the method above does the same thing... good luck and happy finger-counting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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