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Can I use Ammonia to clean an empty Tank?

4K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  Raymond S. 
#1 ·
Hello.

I have an old 75 Gallon Tank which has been in my garage for the last 10 years.

I am thinking of finally setting it up as a new tank however its filthy.

I think there is a lot of calcium depots all over the glass and wondering if I can use Ammonia to clean it.

I think that Ammonia will evaporate or breakdown over time especially outside in the sun.

Can anyone confirm this or is there a reason this will not work?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
What exactly is HCl ? Hydrochloric acid? Toilet cleaner?

I have always been under the impression that chemicals(especially anything that leave behind a residue) was very bad to clean an aquarium.

ammonia is advertised at a Glass cleaner(which the aquarium is), will break down on its own especially if left in the sun and I think if anything if left over, it can be neutralized by the same chemicals used to condition the tap water.

Please tell me where I'm going wrong?

Thanks.
 
#6 ·
NH3 will not break down calcium or hard water deposits.
An acid type product will dissolve calcium deposit.
Local hardware stores usually have a brick cleaner (small container).
HD & Lowes sell by the gallon or two.
Muriatic acid is just a nice name for HCl.
 
#7 ·
Muriatic acid or HCl is sold in some countries as toilet cleaner. I have used it myself to clean the toilet, as a high school kid in Asia.

I can't see ammonia being a problem as long as it is the type without surfactants or scents, as we use it in the fishless cycle. Just rinse very well.

Don't know that it will help necessarily with hard water deposits, but those can come off with a razor blade first, then the cleaner next.

One thing that may not have been considered is the effect on silicone, and that I don't know. Maybe someone else can chime in.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
If you are unhappy with these choices citric acid can be used.
Many in the hobby use in powdered form to generate CO2.
It is another very weak acid like acetic acid.
Solubility is about 145g/100ml, not sure of resulting solution in ppm.

Products labeled as "cleaner" could be something to stay away from.
Typical cleaners contain fragrance, tackifiers, coagulants, color changeling dyes, vehicle additives to prevent splash etc...
These extra additives may leave residue of sorts not easily removed.


Unscented ammonia is used by many to cycle aquaria.
Not good at removing calcium deposits though.
 
#9 ·
You can also try a product called Acid Magic by Certol. It is a muriatic acid replacement and supposedly less harder to work with.

A local breeder uses it in his fish room for sponge filter cleaning, removing calcium deposits from equipment and tanks, etc, just follow the instructions exactly. DO NOT mix with any other chemicals!!!!
 
#10 ·
I would not bother to look for difficult items for this job. Just an easy way to go is vinegar. If you have really thick, hard stuff to remove, I would buy a scraper like designed to clean paint off windows. You can find them often with the painting tools. Then once the really hard thick stuff is gone, soak cloth or paper towels to lay on spots or wipe down the remaining deposits. Ammonia might work but what is needed is an acid to react with the water deposits in many cases. Nothing wrong with using it but it may not help much either. Too much smell for me to want to use it and stick my head in the tank!!!
 
#11 ·
A razor blade (and/or scraper of some sort, a rag and water is all I usually need. I find that even if I use a cleaner of some sort (be it vinegar or something more caustic), the glass looks clean for a bit but once its dried again it still seems to have a film and/or deposits on the glass. The razor blade has never let me down though!
 
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