Cleaning an old tank
 

I have a used ten gallon I want to set up, and it has hard water deposits all around the edge. What is the best way to clean this?

thanks

Vinegar does a pretty good job and won't later poison anything.

I agree. When I cleaned mine Vinegar worked great for me.

You have to use lots of it though. Soak rags in it and lay them on the spot you need to work on for a while before scrubbing. You can use single edge razor blades to help scrape and the original Mr. Clean sponge can help get off the last of the residue if you have some around. Be careful around the silicone of course, too many nicks and you get to reseal the tank too!

thanks for the replys i will get to work on it today!

Why waste the time? 10 gallon $10.00.

Why would someone go spend $10.00 on a new tank when they could put a little elbow grease into an old one?

Some people don't have money to throw around, so I find suggestions like that rude.

OP, when I cleaned my hardwater, I just used warm water and a clean rag. It eventually comes off, but you're probably better off with vinegar. Good luck!

i used white vinegar. not sure if its any different than normal vinegar but it was recommended to me many many moons ago, hence me passing this tip on. good luck :)

Not everyone buys into a consumerist mind-set, either.

One of the handiest "tools" in my aquarium setup is an extra large cat litter pan. Easier to put small tanks rim down in it to soak the rims than try to keep draped rags wet, also great for soaking glass covers and other equipment. As well as rinsing substrate, holding/sorting plant clippings, etc. Cheap and nigh on indestructible.

White vinegar plus a lemon cut in half. Spray the edges with vinegar, let it set for a few minutes, and then take the lemon and just scrub it on the tank.

Seriously. Lemons. I use them to clean the water marks off my faucets, sinks, and tubs. It works great on glass and I'm 99.9% sure it's nontoxic. :icon_smil

It wasn't meant in a rude fashion. I never said to get rid of the old tank. It would make a great quarantine tank. Or breeder. Just not a show tank.But that tank will never have the clarity of new glass. I noticed that when I got my new 20H's last year. And if Petco wasn't having the $1/gallon sale or it was a more expensive tank I wouldn't have mentioned it. I've got 3 20L that have hard water stains. I don't bother cleaning them because i don't want to waste the time since the tanks are still serving their purpose. I'd rather spend that time with my son.
Someday I may clean them up but they will still be utility tanks.

I understand it wasn't intended to be rude, but you didn't offer up what you just said in your original post. Had you said that, it would have been a different story.

I find that if people (including myself) don't make the best of every purchase, you wind up with way too many tanks.

My take is this doesn't have to be a break the bank hobby.

Now that is impossible. How could you ever have too many tanks?:D

And has been said. White vinegar. Great for cleaning coffee makers. Try heating it up a little. in fact we even use it warm on our press rollers to get off the buildup and to neutralize the rollers.

Limited space :P.

The heated up is a good idea. Heat cuts well.

That's not a too many tank problem that's a too little space problem. Solution? Get more tanks. And more space.