Habitat - Indoor :: what are products are safe to clean with?

[faithin_felix]

i recently bought second hand tank, filter, etc.

and i was cleaning with just water today, but there seem to be spots i can't clean off the tank. i used windex on the OUTSIDE of the tank, i am afraid to use anything else other than water on the inside. is salt water and vinegar ok? detergent? or what?

also, i got a fluval 104, 36 gallon tank with canopy, 2 bulbs, a dock, a heater for 100$ CDN - everything second/third hand. did i get ripped off?
also, what do i need to buy for the fluval 104 besides a charcoal filter piece?

thanks

[Sniffa]

When i clean my tank i use water/vinegar and they act normal when they get back in.

[BullDog]

I usually just use water and elbow grease when cleaning the inside of the tank, but if you're draining the tank you can use vinegar (just rinse it out after). I don't think salt water would clean much, it would just add to the water stains. You don't want to use any type of detergent or soap on the turtle tank. The residue they leave behind is very hard to get rid of.

$100 is average to high price I would say. I've seen lots of 30 gallon tanks advertised for about $100, and always thought to myself that seems a little high. What kind of bulbs did you get? Be aware that most UVB bulbs last one year at most, so if you got an old UVB bulb, you'll need to buy a new one.

For the filter, it should have come with foam blocks. If the charcoal came with the filter, you'll probably want to throw it out. Biomedia is pretty important, so you'll want to get some biomedia. What else you get is really up to you. I use coarse filter sponges, carbon, and two types of biomedia in my filters. Some people prefer to skip the carbon.

[faithin_felix]

I usually just use water and elbow grease when cleaning the inside of the tank, but if you're draining the tank you can use vinegar (just rinse it out after). I don't think salt water would clean much, it would just add to the water stains. You don't want to use any type of detergent or soap on the turtle tank. The residue they leave behind is very hard to get rid of.

$100 is average to high price I would say. I've seen lots of 30 gallon tanks advertised for about $100, and always thought to myself that seems a little high. What kind of bulbs did you get? Be aware that most UVB bulbs last one year at most, so if you got an old UVB bulb, you'll need to buy a new one.

For the filter, it should have come with foam blocks. If the charcoal came with the filter, you'll probably want to throw it out. Biomedia is pretty important, so you'll want to get some biomedia. What else you get is really up to you. I use coarse filter sponges, carbon, and two types of biomedia in my filters. Some people prefer to skip the carbon.

oh but i got everything for $100

thanks for the help

[BullDog]

oh but i got everything for $100

thanks for the help

Sorry, I meant to say I've seen lots of 30 gallon kits like you got for $100. If you bought tank only for $100, I'd say you definitely got ripped off

[jozzep]

You did not get ripped off.....
You got a complete 35 gal set-up for $100, canadian or not, it's an awesome deal.
If you add up all the prices of the individual things you got the number would be WAAAY up there.
I personal don't believe in the great cleaning power of vinegar and i don't use it.All you need is water and a good scrubbing brush for "fish tanks" to take off the calcium or "salt" build up in your case, and you're good to go.