krsbuilt

I've got a 45 gallon wide aquarium that is dirty as heck! it hasn't been set up yet as i haven't ordered the equipment (and probably wont for a little bit). I need the inside of the glass cleaned and I've read that you can't use glass cleaner on the tank because of ammonia. I have this Trader Joe's Multi-purpose clener that is organic that I'd like to clean it with, but I thought I'd ask first. the ingredients are as follows:
* Water
* Cedarwood and Clary Sage Essential Oils
* Grain Alcohol
* Natural Surfactants
* It also states: "Color and water contains less than 0.00005% DC of FD&C colors"

there's also this 4" crack on the side of it and i'd like to know how to repair that.

if someone can tell me if i can use the cleaner that would be great, and if i can't what i do use to clean the inside of a dry aquarium?

Lucy

Hi Welcome to FishLore
Is the crack in the glass or seam?
Personally, I wouldn't take the chance with a 4" crack in the glass.
You'd have over 500lbs of water in it. That's a lot of pressure.
If it's in the seam, that can be resealed.

I wouldn't recommend the cleaner you have. I imagine it would be heck to get the oils out.
Usually vinegar or bleach (not both) with a lot of elbow grease can take care of most water spots.

You can pick up a used tank on craig's list for less trouble.
Let's see what others have to say.

Best of luck.

namehater

im with lucy, i wouldnt use that cleaner. ive cleaned up a few used aquariums before and the vinegar always worked great for me.

if the crack is in the glass, you will need to cut away the silicone holding it in place and buy a replacement piece of glass. if its just a split seam, then you just need to reseal the tank. whether its involving the glass or just the seam, the entire inside of the tank will need to be resealed, not just the problem area. this is because fresh silicone wont bond with the old silicone.

also, you have to use specific silicone. make sure you get the right stuff!

for most people resealing/repairing a tank isnt worth the hassel. you could plan to spend about $20 on the silicone and if your replacing any glass you could plan on that being about $20-$40 depending on your area. i see 55g on craigslist (tank only) for in the $50 range.

krsbuilt

i've read that one can repair a crack like that with some silicone aquarium selant. is that true?

and thanks for the tip on cleaning the tank.

namehater

putting sealant on the crack would stop it from leaking, the problem that we are actually concerned about is once that tank is filled up, there is a lot of pressure pushing against that panel, im sure that crack hasnt always been 4" either, i bet anything that it started very tiny and has spread to the 4" that you have, it will continue to grow.

krsbuilt

it's actually a crack that goes from one edge to the other in sort of a bend, and i'd probably always been like that...

aquarist48

Hello Krsbuilt. Cracked glass in an aquarium is risky. I'd think twice about using it without the entire panel being replaced.

I agree with others on only using bleach and or vinegar (not both) to clean your tank. If you decide on bleach make sure to rinse it until you don't smell it any longer. Then fill the tank and over dose with the chlorine remover/conditioner you choose. Empty the tank and dose again with the chlorine remover before you add fish.

Ken