Cleaning calcium with vinegar in an established tank

[VSA]

I have the below vinegar which I want to use to clean calcium deposits from the very top of the tank. Plan was to lower the water and then use paper towels soaked in vinegar to put over the affected area for a few minutes and then scrub off and clean with paper towel soaked in water. Then go ahead and do usual water change and bring water back up to normal level.

Would this be enough to get rid of the vinegar or am I risking altering my PH?

 

[FishDin]

From my experience, it will take a lot more than that, and I wouldn't do it on a tank that is inhabited. I've used paper toewls soaked in vinegar and then covered with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation. After leaving it overnight, most of the calcium deposits remained. If the depsoits are minimal it might work, but as I said, I wouldn't risk my fish.

 

[Flyfisha]

I have cleaned water stains from second hand tanks with multiple NEW razor blades. Ok most of my local water has a low mineral content so i really can’t speak about calcium from rock hard water. It would be worth trying a sharp new blade or two before you use vinegar.

Keep the blade wet . Replace every few minutes.
The single sided blades are the easiest to use.
Only something to do on glass . Don’t even try it on acrylic tanks.

 

[RayClem]

A razor scraper should work. You might also try a Scotchbrite scouring pad. They come in a variety of grades, either the green or maroon should work. The blue pads are non-scratch, so they might not be abrasive enough.

I have cleaned empty tanks using vinegar on multiple occasions, as I can thoroughly rinse out the vinegar afterward. I would never try it on a tank with inhabitants. Vinegar is acidic with a pH between 2-3. Because the pH scale is logarithmic, that means vinegar is 10,000 to 100,000 times more acidic than pure water at a pH of 7.0. Thus, even a few milliliters of vinegar spilled into the tank will significantly alter the pH. This can be quite stressful to the fish. Thus, mechanical removal is a better idea.

 

[VSA]

This was my second badly thought out fish plan in 2 days. Other than the contamination issue, I had not thought vinegar would smell like that. Don’t think I’ll manage working with that. I’m going to try a razor blade