how to get rid of a tide mark?

[john6]

In the process of cleaning my reef tank ready to go planted, ive cleaned it pretty well but no matter what i do i cannot get rid of the tide mark around the top of tank, does anybody know any way to get rid of the tide mark?

 

[Tom72]

Oliver knot uses hydrochloric acid, I don’t know at what concentration. I use white vinegar, it may need several treatments and let it sit to soften up the deposits use a razor blade or similar to gently to scrape off and polish up with a soft cloth. Be very gentle with the scraping, you could use brick work cleaner if it is really bad as that is acid based and clean very well. I don’t know if it would affect the silicon so use with caution.

 

[Wookii]

Citric acid is another option, you can buy it in powder form, and make it as strong as you like. I would use tissue/toilet paper soaked in the acid solution and stuck over the problem areas to keep them wet, and leave for some time to work. Scrubbing with a Dennerle Cleanator is also good for stubborn deposits - its stainless steel fibre pad removes most things and does not scratch glass.

 

[john6]

I had my tank soaking in citric acid for a week to give it a good clean and it didnt touch it, even scrubbing, its almost like its stained the glass, Ive got the rough part off which was easy but whats left is smooth to the touch, so maybe it has stained it.

 

[Gmaqua73]

I used cillet bang limescale remover & a used Brillo pad, 100% recommend, obviously no fish etc. I tried vinegar & lemon juice but did not touch it.