How do I clean a used tank?

debdeb

debdeb

Member
I'm getting close to the point of moving my 180 to it's new spot so I need to clean it thoroughly. My biggest fear is that since it was a FO tank, he may have used medication with copper. He wasn't there when I picked it up and he's moved and I have no way of contacting him. Right now it's in my garage so I can fill it with a hose to leak test it and clean it out fairly easily. Since this will be set up as a reef, what should I use to clean it with?
 
tree

tree

Member
vinegar and water is all that is needed to "clean" it. If chemicals were used in the tank then they may have been absorbed by the silicone if it's a glass tank. You could remove as much silicone as possible and redo it. I don't know if acrylic tanks would be similarly affected.
 
debdeb

debdeb

Member
If it's absorbed into the silicone, what's the possibility that it could leach into the water at a high enough concentration to be harmful? Is there something I can coat the existing silicone with to seal it up instead of redoing it? I don't think I want to risk resetting all of the silicone. Too much can go wrong. I'd be better off going with a FOWLR.
 
teen

teen

Active Member
yea, id remove the silicone along the sides using a razorblade, then just re-silcone it. thats what i did with my 30 gallon, took a few hours.
 
tree

tree

Member
It's really tough to screw up silicone. Just remove as much as you can with a razor knife. Using masking tape for painting, tape a nice straight line on both sides of each seam. Get clear silicone that does NOT have the stuff in it against mildew. Then silicone away. They even make a plastic tool to smooth out the silicone. Pull of the tape & let it dry for a couple days.
 
teen

teen

Active Member
Originally Posted by debdeb
If it's absorbed into the silicone, what's the possibility that it could leach into the water at a high enough concentration to be harmful? Is there something I can coat the existing silicone with to seal it up instead of redoing it? I don't think I want to risk resetting all of the silicone. Too much can go wrong. I'd be better off going with a FOWLR.
copper is a trace element so there is copper in all of our tanks. problem is that anything higher than a normal trace amounts can be harmful to inverts, corals, and some fish.
 
teen

teen

Active Member
Originally Posted by tree
It's really tough to screw up silicone. Just remove as much as you can with a razor knife. Using masking tape for painting, tape a nice straight line on both sides of each seam. Get clear silicone that does NOT have the stuff in it against mildew. Then silicone away. They even make a plastic tool to smooth out the silicone. Pull of the tape & let it dry for a couple days.
yup. i bet your lfs carries aquarium silicone, i believe AGA makes it.
 
debdeb

debdeb

Member
I'm really afraid to cut into the seal on a 180 gallon tank. If I mess up, even a little leak is a huge problem. I also have a 59 gallon sump to be concerned with. I'll clean the tank & sump real well with vinegar (what strength should I use?). I'll throw away the bio balls and anything else that is "disposable" like sand, filter pads and carbon socks.Then I'll soak the dry base rock in a tub with saltwater and then test for copper. I've read that there is no definitive proof of copper leaching from silicone, but it will definitely absorb into and leach out of sand and rock. I should be able to see trace amounts coming from the rock if it was ever treated. The rock is really nice, and there is about 150 lbs of it, but I don't have a problem pitching it if there is a chance it will be a problem.
 
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