General Care Discussion :: Tank Cleaning

[Dein211]

Does anyone know of a way that I can clean the glass on my tank to get rid of bacteria and such that won't harm my turtle?

[emma]

A lot of the bacteria that developes in the tank is good. If the tank is used by someone else though, you could use some sort of effective cleaner.

[megcornell]

I usually just wipe the sides down, I don't use any chemicals on my tank.
If you are cleaning the empty tank with no turtle in it and no water you can use vinegar or a dilute bleach solution (no stronger than 2% bleach- about 2oz per gallon of water) BUT you need to rinse the tank very well afterwards and let it air dry overnight. It's not a practical way to clean tanks often, most people only do it if they've just acquired a new tank.
Remember that some of the bacteria in the tank is beneficial so it's not wise to scrub everything down and change all the water often- that knocks out the nitrogen cycle in the tank.

[industrial_girl_2000]

I agree with Meg, I don't use any chemicals in my tanks either. I just scrape the sides with an algae scraper, then dump the water & refill. If you keep up with regular cleaning, chemicals usually aren't necessary.

[erinemcgreevy]

I sometimes use a product called Healthy Habitat it's made from natural enzymes. I really doubt it does much more than make the tank smell nice and it supposedly helps with the brake-down of waste.

[marisa]

For tanks that a turtle has already been using, I used diluted white vinegar. If there are spots or algae on the glass, I use a little vinegar full strength (wipe with a paper towel or cloth) and rinse well afterward.

[Jet]

I have a little scrub pad I use when I change out some of the water. I just scrub the sides with a bit of the tank water.
For the dock I use a weak solution of bleach and water and rinse very well. For his plants I just just them under water and that seems to take the slime and algae off pretty well.

[mikee]

Jt -- When using bleach make sure that you get ALL of it out before you fill the tank with water. The bleach will kill the good bacteria that you will be trying to cultivate. Raw vinegar has a PH of 4 and will dilute when you fill the tank. In mentioning bleach make sure that you dechlorinate the water when you get your water.

[Dein211]

thats exactly what i wanted to hear. MINIMAL TANK CLEANING!! lol and by that of course i mean i don't have to do anything really beyond what i am already doing. Thanks