I need advice. How do I clean this tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
If you really want to get into it. Place a piece of carpet inside, then place a piece of plywood on top of the carpet. Viola, a weight distribution system that won't scratch your glass.

If it is a 120g that is 24"x48" (1152 square inches), then there is about 0.1 gallons per inch. That means the glass must support 8lbs of water for every 10 square inches minimum (a gallon of water is 8 lbs). To support a 150lb person you would need a 14"x14" piece of wood to simulate the same pressure as water. Note: this is a worst case scenario and the glass is actually much much stronger than what is needed to support the water. Also, make the board bigger and you will get better lbs/in ratio. Below is my math:

1 pint of water = 1 lb
1 gallon = 8lbs
24"x48"= 1152 sq.in.
120 gallon/1152sq.in. = 0.104 gallons/sq.in. = .832lbs/sq.in.
150lbs (person) /0.832lbs/sq.in. = 180.3 sq.in.
the square root of 180.3" is roughly 13.5"
 
when i bought my 125 gal off of craigslist, it was about half as bad as your's. the person whom i bought it from, had lost is father in a cancer battle a year prior. his dad was a breeder of exotic tropicals and had an internet business. he had 20 tanks, or so that had sat for over a year. it was a mess. i used dishwashing soap, a garden hose and a scrub brush. then, i allowed it to soak for several days, with a soap/bleach solution. it removed the worst of the mess. then, i started using vinegar and water to srub and soak, more. eventually i removed the build up from the walls of the tank and allowed it to soak for several days, with a vinegar and water combination. many will tell you to not use soap and to use vinegar. it;s not going to work. you have to use something that will cut to the core. after you get all of the gunk off of it, you can soak with water and vinegar. good luck.
 
wow...i looked at your pic again. first thing i'd do is get a hose and wet it down. then soak it with water and bleach and soap for a day....scrub again, soak again, scrub again and on and on until it's clean . . .then start using vinegar to remove soap residue and whatever build up is left onthe glass. it's going to take several weeks of soaking and scrubbing. by the way, you have mounted the tank on the stand, inside your house. i kept mine outside in my yard. this is an outside job. you need a garden hose and a long scrub brush with a long broom-like handle. i got one from wal mart.
 
All these concoctions.. Dear me.

1. Take the thing outside and make sure it's approximately level.
2. Get a couple nice big bottles of vinegar.
3. Pour the vinegar in.
4. Go away for a day or two.

Let the vinegar do the work. If that doesn't soften down the muck and make cleaning it several dozen times easier, I'll eat my hat. It worked for me.

Assuming it works, lay the tank on one of the sides, repeat the soaking etc.
 
razor blades and steel wool is what i would use. and i even used gasoline to clean silicone residue, so im sure you could use just about anything to clean that thing.

and i wouldnt worry about climbing in the tank. ive done it plenty times with all sorts of tanks. and i weight a lot more than you :)
 
if this is glass, then use a razor blade. i have bought most of my tanks off of craigslist cheap and look just as bad as your. First thing you do is you take it outside and hose it down and get everything wet and get all the sand out. then you take a razor blade and you slide the razor blade down the side of the tank, with the razor blade a slight angle. it takes a little bit but works the best not nearly as much elbow grease and looks a lot better. then you just rinse it out and then find where you missed then do it over again. I just did this on a tank about a month ago, he shut it down with out cleaning it out and it was a salt water tank. took about 1 1/2 but the tank looks amazing now.
 
now that youve got it in the house the best thing to do is get it to the back yard and hose it out.. then scrape it clean with a razor blade.. then go to work on it with the vinegar.. theres a good chance you are going to jack up the silicone so you should pick some up along with some painters tape.. dont worry redoing the seals is very easy because all you are doing is putting it in the corners you dont need to worry about taking the whole tank apart and rebuilding it..

dont forget the bottom does not have to be perfectly clean unless you are going bare bottom..
 
I agree with most of the posters now that you got it in the house take it back out and clean it outdoors. wet it down uze the razor blade and vinegar or coke. the acid in the coke is mild but enough to cut through it. plus its alot safer than other cleaners. I wouldn't use bleach or any ammonia cleaners personally. I also wouldn't worry about getting in the tank I am quite abit larger than you and have been on both my large tanks. if you are worried throw a piece of carpet down inside to soften any pressure points. scrape it all down and finish it with a green scrubber pad and vinegar rinse it thoroughly and run a new bead of silicone inside as you will almost certainly damage the existing so just scrape it out and add a new bead. its extra security also as the tank has been moved around and sat for a while. wait a week rinse and fill good luck
 
And let us know how it works out!

I have the opportunity to buy a cheap tank that fits my needs, but if it requires many hours of labour to clean it out, I'll wait and shell out the extra 50-100 bucks for a cleaner one.
 
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