Habitat - Indoor :: Safe Tank Cleaning

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:01 pm   Safe Tank Cleaning

I'm getting ready to sell my tank and some supplies and was wondering the best way to clean the tank so any future turtles can live in it safely? I've heard vinegar is good?
lilyoshi
 
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Post Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:31 pm   Re: Safe Tank Cleaning

If the tank is empty, I would try with some warm water and a plastic scrubber. Mr. Clean magic erasers (original) are sometimes useful and I use a razor scrapper on really stubborn spots. Be very careful around the silicone seals.
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steve
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Post Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 4:52 am   Re: Safe Tank Cleaning

White vinegar is great for loosening stubborn crusted on calcium or algae. If you put some on a paper towel, you can stick the towel to the stubborn spot and let it soak in for a few mins. Most of the time the crud will soften and come right off lessening your time scraping hard with a zazor. Rinse well with water afterwards. Vinegar is very safe but stinks - will go away after the rinse.
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VeipaCray
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Post Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:04 pm   Re: Safe Tank Cleaning

Steve, as to the Mr. Clean magic eraser (non-impregnated), have you found that safe to use during normal maintenance, not a full tank cycle? Reading about them, they wouldn't "appear" to effect water quality as they seem to be only cleaning via the material it's made of, but I thought I'd ask people who might have more experience.
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Post Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 4:32 pm   Re: Safe Tank Cleaning

Will vinegar sanitize everything though?
lilyoshi
 
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Post Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 4:56 pm   Re: Safe Tank Cleaning

ekuyper wrote:Steve, as to the Mr. Clean magic eraser (non-impregnated), have you found that safe to use during normal maintenance, not a full tank cycle? Reading about them, they wouldn't "appear" to effect water quality as they seem to be only cleaning via the material it's made of, but I thought I'd ask people who might have more experience.


If you're disassembling a tank and are taking everything out for a thorough scrub, that's when I'd use the magic eraser. They do wear down / grind apart as you use them. If you have water in the tank the grit will get into the water. If it's a dry tank that you can rinse out before selling / reusing that's when I'd use the magic eraser.


lilyoshi wrote:Will vinegar sanitize everything though?


No it won't. I wouldn't worry about that if you're selling the tank. If someone is buying it for reef or salt, they won't want any chemicals to have been used inside. The vinegar will help dissolve the calcium deposits and the algae so you can get the glass clean. If the buyer of your tank wants to clean it with something else it's best left to them. The only really safe way to sanitize a tank is steam.
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VeipaCray
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Post Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 1:32 am   Re: Safe Tank Cleaning

Yup, what VeipaCray said. I might take out the Mr. Clean if I'm doing a 100% change/wipe down and there is a lot of hard water buildup. Normally, a razor is really a fast way to get off dried skin.
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