flotus48

A friend of mine gave me two tanks. I need to clean them and was wondering what's the best way to remove calcium deposits on the glass. I thought I read in this forum that vinegar would work but I do not know in what amounts.

Lucy

Good morning
Cool, free tanks! What size are they?
It depends on how bad it is. You can dilute it or use it straight.
Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

flotus48

One tank is a 29 gal the other a 10 gal. The 29 gal was used fo a reptile of some kind and had silicone on the glass. I managed to scrape it off but the calcium deposits left from low water has left a ring. The 10 just has a rind from low water. BTW the 10 is going to be for a betta! I'm going to try vinegar I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't impregnate the seals.

Lucy

Yay, a new Betta!
You'll be fine using vinegar, I've used it on several tanks. Good luck!

TedsTank

Yes, White Vinegar worked great for me. Don't dilute it and on tough spots, soak a paper towel with it, and lay the towel over those spots. Most of the crust will wipe off but occasionally you may need to scrape a little. Single edge razor blade or a small knife will work (on a GLASS tank) fine for scraping.

When you are done rinse the tank well. If you still smell a bit vinegar don't worry it, wont hurt you, the tank, or any future fish inhabitants..

jgon_

Yup, vinegar works great. For really tough spots, you can heat up the vinegar in a pan and then dip a towel in the hot vinegar and try and rub away the spot. Or if theres a ring of deposits, fill it with hot vinegar and let it sit, occasionally trying to scrape away at the scale.
Just be very careful, the hot vinegar gives off some pretty noxious odors if you catch a big whiff of it, other than that, just smells like your dyeing Easter eggs.

flotus48

Thank you everyone!

flyin-lowe

I recently learned a new trick that works perfect. Whatever the vinegar won't take off, give this a try you won't be disappointed. Go to an auto parts store and get a jar of turtle wax brand Heavy Duty rubbing compound. This was discussed at length on another forum and I will summarize. Glass has a hardness rating of 6. The abrasives in the rubbing compound also have a hardness of 6 which means it cannot scratch the glass. (the OP contacted engineers at turtle wax to confirm this) That is why I only recommend this brand, I cannot confirm the hardness of other brands. The rubbing compound is a non toxic wax based substance. It looks about like car wax, it is maroon in color. Just get a towel dampened with purified water and rub it on the stains like applying wax on a car. Then take another clean cloth and rub it off. It is very easy to do and VERY effective. I did a 120g tank I bough off of Craigslist that looked horrible. There are one or two scratches in the glass but all the white stuff is gone. If you have ever tried to clean up an old tank this will be the best advise you have ever gotten.