Full clean out?

[Reidy]

Hi as a few of you may/may not know I'm a marine fish keeper ATM who is moving into planted ( my fish are for sale currently) as soon as I've sold my stock etc will b getting ready for the change.

Obviously will need an epic clean out of my filter and tank etc because of the salt, does anybody have any suggestions in products I could use that wouldn't be harmful to the fish I would put in after, or is it better to stick with just water and lots if hard work?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sa80mark]

Lots and lots of white vinegar works wonders and once rinsed out is completely safe

 

[ceg4048]

Just use warm or hot water. Why all the hard work? Salt dissolves in water so just let everything soak and then rinse a couple times. Save your vinegar for fish&chips.

Cheers,

 

[Reidy]

yeah its not just the salt, i have different types of algae growing on the back glass like corraline etc that have been left so im thinking
they may be hard to get off properly too

 

[ceg4048]

Oh, OK, well then use any strong acid to dissolve the Calcium deposits. Vinegar is too weak and that's why it could be hard work. Use pool acid to dissolve it faster, but put on goggles and gloves. Don't hurt yourself! Ph Down is Phosphoric acid so that will work too but it's expensive on a per liter basis.

Cheers,

 

[Rich Jackson]

If its on the glass just use a stanley knife blade and scrape it off. Any corraline algae on filters heaters etc just use white vinegar and let it soak it will come off easy. Just the same as what I have just done with mine!

 

[stemag]

hi i believe reidys tank is acrylic would acid be ok for this

 

[ceg4048]

Hi,
Sorry, I didn't realize it's acrylic. He specifically used he word "glass" in post #4.
One has to be a LOT more careful because there is an effect depending on the strength used. For pool acid (Muriatic acid), you'd want to use no more than about a 30% solution. For acetic acid (vinegar) I think the limit is around 40%. "Ph Down" might actually be Nitric acid, depending on who makes it, so a 30%-50% limit might apply.

You can initiate crazing, cracking or material swelling, again, depending on the formulation of the material.

Cheers,

 

[Reidy]

No my tank is glass guys

 

[ian_m]

I just used Kilrock descaler (formic acid) to descale my tank and still use it to descale the T8 tubes & reflectors. Do it outside, as it wiffs, and rinse well afterwards. Works well and is cheap.