What's the best way to clean an empty tank? In the boating world I have known people to add bleach to their potable water tanks, that's the water they'd drink or brush teeth with.... but before royally screw something up, how would you go about cleaning a new or old tank as much as possible before starting a cycle?
Cleaning Empty Tank - Vinegar... Soap... Bleach???
- Thread starter Dustin07
- Start date
Out of an abundance of caution, I would not use bleach or soap. If rinsed really well, these would likely not be an issue but, I prefer to be more cautious.
Vinegar has always been my go to for cleaning tanks. It helps if there is a build up of coralline on the glass/acrylic.
Vinegar has always been my go to for cleaning tanks. It helps if there is a build up of coralline on the glass/acrylic.
this is for a new tank, acrylic...
I filled it with water but am seeing a sheen on the water, like oil slick and it's not filtering out so I am thinking of breaking it down and washing it from scratch before i put anything in it. I'm wondering if there could be a nasty residue on it from the factory that I need to clean out.
wvned
Premium Member
I would use regular Dawn dish soap. Rinse well.
You can use bleach. Fill with water and add dechlorator and let sit for an hour. Or let air dry.
Vinegar, use and rinse.
Soap removes oil
Vinegar removes scale (calcium stuff from hard water) There are stronger acids that may be necessary.
Bleach removes green stuff and kills it
You can use bleach. Fill with water and add dechlorator and let sit for an hour. Or let air dry.
Vinegar, use and rinse.
Soap removes oil
Vinegar removes scale (calcium stuff from hard water) There are stronger acids that may be necessary.
Bleach removes green stuff and kills it
shred5
Premium Member
Vinegar is what I use the most. Sometimes citric acid for heavy scale but mostly pumps and other equipment.
I do use bleach sometimes if it is a quarantine tank or for fish breeding aquarium. With bleach it needs to be 100 pure bleach though, no thickeners, scents or other additives.
I do use bleach sometimes if it is a quarantine tank or for fish breeding aquarium. With bleach it needs to be 100 pure bleach though, no thickeners, scents or other additives.
I mean I'm more than happy to use just vinegar if that's strong enough to cut whatever is causing this sheen!
It "Looks" like someone with lots of lotion on their hands was doing something. (makes me really think about those reef safe suntan lotions they sell) but it's a brand new tank so I'm also thinking maybe some residue from the factory...
It "Looks" like someone with lots of lotion on their hands was doing something. (makes me really think about those reef safe suntan lotions they sell) but it's a brand new tank so I'm also thinking maybe some residue from the factory...
Brieninsac
Member
A 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water and a new razor blade. Depending how bad it is that and a little patience should do it.
redneckgearhead
Member
Bleach is perfectly fine. Once dry the chlorine is gone. But it sounds like you have some kind of oil on your water. I'd scrub it with ammonia, great grease cutter and can be tested for.
ironwill723
Well-known member
I would use vinegar as well. Probably residue from the gluing process.
That's sorta what we are thinking/hoping too
So we opted for the dawn first, scrubbed the whole tank, killed/cleaned the rocks, and ran a ton of dawn water and fresh water through the pump.
Then I went over it all again with vinegar to cut any residue I missed.
Refilled the tank with 3g from my DT and 1g of fresh salt.
Everything seems happy! Currently just got a couple zoa frags and some gsp in there. I almost want to let the gsp take over like grass and not put any sand in it at all.
Then I went over it all again with vinegar to cut any residue I missed.
Refilled the tank with 3g from my DT and 1g of fresh salt.
Everything seems happy! Currently just got a couple zoa frags and some gsp in there. I almost want to let the gsp take over like grass and not put any sand in it at all.
This is the tank I'd like to setup for dwarf sea horses. that built in sump, I put a sponge over the intake vents to cut down on the size of critter that could get sucked into it by accident. I'm playing with the pumps pressure power, right now I have it turned way down. In the compartment in the back right of the tank I have macro algae so the water filters into there, through the macro, at the bottom it feeds into the pump to cycle back into the tank. I have the heater located in that middle compartment in the back "fuge/sump" area as well. although I'm not sure if that's going to work as it may not heat the rest of the tank well enough, not sure on that yet.
