Kyle Knox Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 I’m trying to remove hard water deposits from a used 75 gallon tank I’ve tried a magic eraser a scotch bright pad and a plastic ice scraper and tried scrubbing with vinegar and filling the tank and scrubbing and soaking none seem to work good does anybody have any good fish safe removal methods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy's Fish Den Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Some hard water deposits are next to impossible to remove, you've done all I can think of other trying a product like Bar Keepers friend or CLR. Both of them are pretty harsh, so make sure to rinse the tank out well if you do use them. I have seen both of them used by people for this with some success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian K Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) Have you tried steel wool and vinegar? You will want 000 grade steel wool. That is specifically for cleaning glass and will not scratch it. That is what I've used on old tanks I've bought before and it worked for me. Another option is a razor blade scraper. Just be careful not to cut yourself or the silicone seal. Best of luck! Edited September 17, 2020 by Brian K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeAnumber1 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 IMO you're going to have to go with a legit steel razor scraper or a long soak with CLR. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Knox Posted September 17, 2020 Author Share Posted September 17, 2020 Has anyone personally used CLR or Bar Keepers Friend? I actually collect minerals and personally use iron out to dissolve calcium minerals and rust and then the next step up is muriatic /hydrochloric acid and know how to neutralize them with baking soda and use PPE but not sure on how they would act with the silicone and if any residual residue would be left and how long it would be around for I did notice CLR says to avoid contact with any sealed surfaces and bar keepers Friend’s ingredient is hydrochloric acid and double checked iron out doesn’t say not to use on sealed surfaces so I would lean towards the iron out but I’m curious if anyone has personally done it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeAnumber1 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 10 minutes ago, Kyle Knox said: I did notice CLR says to avoid contact with any sealed surfaces In the context of what they say "any painted, coated or sealed surfaces", I think they are referring to larger coated protected surfaces. Since they recommend CLR for use with bathtubs which often have silicone seals and washing machines that it should be aquarium seal safe. I have not tested this myself though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Knox Posted September 17, 2020 Author Share Posted September 17, 2020 Ok thanks that’s what I was imagining or maybe just a to cover themselves in a instance like this where it’s not the directly implied use I’m probably gonna try the iron out seems to be about the same thing and I already have it and I’ll just have to play it safe and let it soak in clean water for a few days after and empty it and fill it for a few more and test the water Im fairly confident it will be ok I was just trying to avoid chemicals and I figured I put it up here before I did it and found out the hard way it would do something completely unexpected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordernAquariums Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 If you have access to RO water or something on the softer side that would probably help with the soak. I've soaked with RO and vinegar and had decent success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Knox Posted September 17, 2020 Author Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) I just tied the actual razor blade before going to chemicals and to my surprise it actually worked (whole lot better than the plastic scraper) I had to scrub each spot roughly 5 times a bit more on the thicker spots but after about a hour and 15min. It looks a whole lot better a whole lot of scraping but it was probably worth not resorting to chemicals Edited September 17, 2020 by Kyle Knox 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy's Fish Den Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Looks good, sometimes all it takes is a bunch of elbow grease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannachka Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 i have very hard, mineral rich water and all of my tanks start looking like that. ive always used bar keepers friend and have never had any issues long term as long as i rinse very well. i use it on the outside glass for weekly cleaning as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James V. Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 17 hours ago, Kyle Knox said: I just tied the actual razor blade before going to chemicals and to my surprise it actually worked (whole lot better than the plastic scraper) I had to scrub each spot roughly 5 times a bit more on the thicker spots but after about a hour and 15min. It looks a whole lot better a whole lot of scraping but it was probably worth not resorting to chemicals //content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/5D71F093-237D-404D-93E5-536C4597F47A.jpeg.e2d6910f8ff2b953df881cf9676cce83.jpeg //content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/446529FE-A7DF-4BF1-BE57-55D6A171BBB3.jpeg.de59b2beb43c9391ac4b047a2e5e168f.jpeg My go to is always just a razor blade running under water. Works ever time😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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