got my new to me 90g AGA Megaflow tank cleaning coraline?

[sjm1978]

i picked up a 90g AGA Megaflow tank and stand from FiReC. it is covered in coraline algae what would be the best way to clean it? would filling it up with tap and then put a gallon or so of white vinegar in and let the whole tank soak work? if so how long do i let it soak? if not whats the best way to do it? if i do have to scrub it what kind of scrub pad should i use i dont want to scratch the glass.

heres some pics i would like the overflow to come clean also.

yes there is still some sand to take out im not gonna do any kind of scrubbing on the glass until theres no sand in it i dont want to scratch the glass.

[azcraig]

I have used a mild solution of water and bleach in the past with good results.

[chiahead]

vinegar will work but you will have to use a lot and let it soak for a few days...muriatic acid(pool acid) will work better and faster but it is an acid and can burn you quite badly if your not careful...there is probably others that people will come up with that I have not used personally

[Garage1217]

With that qty I would use muriatic acid, be very carefull, wear long rubber gloves & do it outside. Wow that is a LOT of coraline!!!!

[Frank AZ]

I would also use the muriatic acid. Use a 50/50 solution and it should work fine.

[ADA33]

I would just use a sharp

http://www.fullam.com/images/tools/526601.jpg

Just change it out often only dull blades scratch glass.

[chiahead]

Originally posted by ADA33
I would just use a sharp

http://www.fullam.com/images/tools/526601.jpg

Just change it out often only dull blades scratch glass.

you can scratch the glass with that whether its sharp or dull and if the overflow is plastic that may be difficult to use without damaging the plastic

[Garage1217]

Exactly... for that qty... I would definitly use muriatic acid... man the water must have bairly been able to flow into the overflow *LOL* That is some crazy build up.

[GustavoAZ]

I prefer vinegar but keep in mind it may swell the seal around the bulkhead, unless you planned on removing it first.

[jasonh]

Lay the tank on its back and just pour straight vinegar on it. let that soak for a day or two and use a razor blade or a plastic scrub pad (make sure it doesn't have the anti-bacterial stuff, and make sure it's plastic). Then turn the tank to the next side and repeat. Should be able to hold enough vinegar in with the trim to do the job. Just won't help for the overflows....

[Xeroxman]

Vinegar?? On a tank that bad?? It would take a week.

Lay the tank on it's back..

Go get a $10 fertilizer sprayer from Homedepot and a bottle of Pool Muriatic Acid..

Use the sprayer, and spray the heck out the tank.. Should take all of like 10 minutes to make it look like new..

Report back when you're done..

Just be sure rinse the tank with the garden hose really well before filling thats all..

And it won't take 2 months to do the job

[Xeroxman]

The best part.. The Muriatic will eat any sand you have left in the tank too

[sjm1978]

ok the overflow has 3 entry points bottom,middle,top its a double wall overflow. the bottom and middle vents are completely clear and the top vent i took a small flat head screw driver to and its now clear. i also shined a flashlight down between the two overflow walls and its not clogged or anything its clear.

the coraline on the glass is not really that bad i scratched some of it off with my finger nail the overflow on the other hand is kind of thick is some spots i might have to use the acid on that. ill have my sisters boyfriend do the acid part he uses it alot for his job.

ok heres what i think im gonna do im gonna do the vinegar and straight edge razor blade and scrub method. im not afraid at all to use razor blades on glass. i have been tinting car windows for around 12 years and i use razor blades to clean all the the windows except for back window because of the defog lines. i have never scratched a window with a razor blade so im not afraid to use them on my tank.

im not trying to make the tank look brand new like if i just bought it from the store. i think i got this tank for a pretty good deal so im not worried about putting some elbow grease into cleaning it

ok what type of vinegar do i buy?

[psimitry]

Filling a 90G tank 50/50 with a pool acid solution? Someone is crazy. Not only would that be insanely expensive to remove coralline, but it'd be a huge hassle to dispose.

Soaking this is probably not viable. Just go to Lowes, get a razor based paint scraper, scrape the glass. From there, make a 50/50 (or possibly even stronger) acid solution and put it in a spray bottle in order to clean the overflow (I would say scrape it too, except it has a texture and will be impossible to scrape).

[sjm1978]

Garage1217 Wow that is a LOT of coraline!!!!

tell me about it i wonder what caused that much coraline... both tanks i have ever owned get very little coraline growth on the glass.

[sjm1978]

ok do i just buy white vinegar?

[Garage1217]

I definitly get it, especially on my koralias & back wall, but never anything near that level. That looks 1/8" or more thicker.

[jasonh]

yeah plain ol white vinegar if that's the route you're going.

[sjm1978]

Originally posted by jasonh
yeah plain ol white vinegar if that's the route you're going.

ok thanks yea im gonna try the vinegar and blades on the glass and for the overflow ill let my sisters boyfriend do the acid on that.

the tank wont be setup for a few months or so i still have to buy new lighting,vortech pump,more LR,sand,skimmer,sump.

[sjm1978]

Originally posted by Garage1217
I definitly get it, especially on my koralias & back wall, but never anything near that level. That looks 1/8" or more thicker.

my koralias get it and mag float and the glass gets very little i do try to keep my glass very clean tho so maybe thats why.

[sjm1978]

ok im at home today i have a spray bottle with a bleach water mix in it that we use for cleaning bathrooms etc. i decided to try it on the tank i took a washcloth sprayed the bleach water mix on it and wiped on the glass where the thickest coraline was and with a little scrubbing it came off glass is clear. i dont have vinegar here so i haven't tried that yet ill get some later. so since the bleach water mix works pretty good and if the vinegar doesn't work as good would it be ok to use the bleach w/water mix? also will vinegar or bleach dry out the silicone?

[jasonh]

Since you're using bleach, make sure to get the tank rinsed out really well. Not sure how much it actually helps, but sometimes I'll fill with water and dump in a bunch of dechlorinator...or even just pour the dechlor right on a rag and wipe everything down, then rinse a couple times

[sjm1978]

Originally posted by jasonh
Since you're using bleach, make sure to get the tank rinsed out really well. Not sure how much it actually helps, but sometimes I'll fill with water and dump in a bunch of dechlorinator...or even just pour the dechlor right on a rag and wipe everything down, then rinse a couple times

yea if i do the bleach i will fill the tank and put some aquasafe or prime in it and do that a few times. do you know if the bleach or vinegar will cause any problems with the silicone?

[jasonh]

they shouldn't.

[chiahead]

nevermind