How to clean a new tank that wasn’t in a box?

[Karen B.]

Greetings!

I bought a new tank (30 gallons). It was on a shelf, high enough that nobody could put their hand inside, but still was sitting in the open, not in a box.

Plus, here in Canada we have to use alcohol gel every time we enter a store so when people moved it to the car, maybe they touched the inside, might have left residue, etc.

The tank is too heavy for me to bring in the bathtub or outside. So how do you clean your tank before setting them up? It won’t be cycling for more then 2 days either as I am just moving my 20 g into the 30 and keeping everything so the cycle should hold.

Thank you!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Mix aquarim salt and water, naturally antibacterial and if there's any residue it won't hurt a dang thing.

[Karen B.]

On 4/4/2022 at 1:05 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Mix aquarim salt and water, naturally antibacterial and if there's any residue it won't hurt a dang thing.

Thanks! Do you have a rough idea of the quantity?

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

High concentration, a few tablespoons at least a gallon my guess but you may not even need a gallon. I'd just fill a water bottle with a tablespoon or 2 and shake it till disolved, soak a rag and wipe out the inside. 

Basically salt dehydrates bacterial cells and kills it. For people and mouth rinses, it's 1/2 teaspoon in 1 cup.

[Intuos]

You could also try isopropanol (also known as isopropyl alcohol) it's the base ingredient in sanitiser and a lot of disinfectants, basically pure alcohol, and evaporates away leaving no residue. I use this to clean all my tanks and have never had any issues.