to clean or not to clean

i just bought a new tank from a guy down the street and it looks like he never cleaned it.. the glass is covered with build up, i mean its pretty bad.
what should i use to clean the glass?? i tried scrubing the hesk out of it with a rough pad, but its caked on.
also the silicon looks a little rough, iam going to redo it. do i need to scrap it off or could i just put some more over it????
i know it sounds like a crappy tank but i only paid $50 for the tank, stand, lights, 2 maxi jets, and a buch of other little things..
any advice would be helpful...
also should i run the maxi jets though some water or bleach water before cycling the tank????
 

prk543

Member
if you use bleach, be sure to rinse everything multiple times to insure that you get all of the bleach off of everything.
I also got an older tank that was absolutely filthy. I used a mixture of vinager and water to clean my tank using a scrubber sponge.
As for the silicone, i am not sure. I am sure that other people will be able to help you with that.
Good luck
-prk543
 
okay thanks,, the water and vinager worked well? i just dont want to add any chemicals that could seep into my tank, but viniger sounds good....
 

ifirefight

Active Member
Originally Posted by goober_hunter
okay thanks,, the water and vinager worked well? i just dont want to add any chemicals that could seep into my tank, but viniger sounds good....
Vinegar will work good,also dont underestimate hot water and a scrub brush...You should be able to dis-assemble the Powerheads enough to clean them. The silicone can be cut out from the inside with a razorblade,then re apply AQUARIUM SAFE silicone. After you apply the silicone... use the back of a plastic spoon...you can smooth it out very nicely....
 

prk543

Member
yeah, there was still some film on the tank glass but it wasn't bad, and you can't even see it when the tank is full. The razor blade will probably help remove more of the film as well.
Like I said, you can't even tell that the film is on the tank glass once it is full, and I have had no ill effects from using viniger to clean my tank. I think that the mixture you want is something like 10 parts water for every 1 part viniger.
 
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