bought a used tank. need advice.

[est 032909]

good morning,

i bought a tank, very used. everything seems to be in good condition thus far with the small exception that there is an immense amount of dead algae and/or detritus within the over flow columns, pumps, etc.

would there be any decent trick to removing the crud?

i would like this set up to be perfectly clean to start anew. i'm by far not afraid of a little elbow grease, but with regard to the over flow system and dorsal pipes i'm afraid that i may have to remove it from the tank.

i would even be, dare i say, open to harsh chemicals at this point. even at this point i know i will no have fish in this set up for many weeks due to the fact that the stand and canopy need to be reworked.

thank you for reading and please HELPPPP!
-Brad

 

[CLDarnell]

I love buying a used tank and making it look new again

Some are easy to clean, some are outright nasty. Vinegar in a spary bottle helps a little bit. On one particularly dirty tank, I started out by laying on it's side carefully and pouring in some vinegar. The lip on top kept it from running out. I let it soak overnight, then carefully scraped away with a razor blade (keeping it wet with vinegar). I then rolled it over and did the next side. Four days later, I had it looking pretty good without a tremendous amount of effort.

Be careful scraping plastics though of course. Just a thought...is there a way to remove the overflow and pipes? You could probably easily replace them for next to nothing and they would literally be brand new.

Good luck! And congrats on the new project

 

[est 032909]

you have a point. the overflows would appear to be rubber cemented which i know for fact would need a more potent solvent to break loose....which in turn destroying the silicone seal, resulting in resealing.

but you know what? it's worth the time and little money in the grand scheme of things.

thank you for the reply.
-Brad