Reviving an old aquarium

wallywonka

Hey guys,

In between my move from one home to another, I had to put the AQ up for a while.
I am now ready to break out the AQ again, and I have two questions.

#1What do I need to do and need to use in order to clean the AQ.

#2 I obviously am going to chagne the media inside the filter, but other than that, do
I need to do anything else???


Thanks,

DKRST

I have used vinegar for a really nasty tank (rinse well) and even, on one occasion, soap and water inside the tank - again, rinsed really, really, well (I don't recommend the soap and water option if you can avoid it)! I had a 29g stored in a workshop for 17 years. I rinsed it out (water only), cleaned the outside glass with windex (careful to not get on the interior), and it's now home to 15 happy and healthy fish. Water stains on the interior will typically disappear or at minimum, fade a lot, when they get wet again. You may want to flush the filter and lines (?) with clean water before use.

David

shadetreeme

Hey Wally.... welcome to TFK!!
What size aquarium do you have??
What do you plant to put in it???
As far as cleaning goes.... I am a big fan of plain water and elbo grease.

SinCrisis

Vinegar is the safest route for getting rid of calcium deposits and other mineral based stains. Warm water and a scrubbing pad should get rid of dirt, dust, etc. If the vinegar isnt working, try using a razer blade on them after letting the vinegar soak a little.

A "cleaner" but riskier method is to dilute bleach in water, ~5% bleach, and use that to scrub. However, you will need to really rinse the tank thoroughly. This method is usually not advisable unless you really need to tank to be spotless.

As DKRST said, most stains will fade after the tank is filled, and depending on water conditions, might even dissolve on their own after a while, soft/acidic water will eat at mineral deposits slowly (by slowly, i mean can take years). But light stains should not be noticeable for the most part.

As for the filter, i would give it a good scrubbing with the hottest water you can handle. No soap/chemicals of any kind. If its an HOB, I would invest in a pipe cleaner and clean out the intake tube. For canister filters, buy new tubes. You will also need to locate the impeller and clean it, dried mulm, algae, and other solids could damage it when you start it up again.