Used Saltwater Tank and stand

bluesteel

I've been reading this forum for a couple weeks now. Great info here!!! I just purchased a used 80 gallon tank with a stand. It was used for a saltwater setup, and I am going to be converting it to a freshwater setup. From what I've read, to clean out the tank, use either bleach or vinegar diluted with water to clean the inside of the tank. Is this correct?
Also, there is a lot of salt on the wood of the stand. It's pine wood with a light stain. I want to get rid of the salt and stain the stand again. Does anyone have any suggestions other than just soap and water to clean the wood properly before I let it dry, then stain it?

herefishy

Vinegar or bleach will not remove salt marks. The best thing for that is clean water and an algae pad. Vinegar can be used full strength to remove any hard water stains. Bleach solution will disinfect the tank. I have even used hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the tank, back in the day.

marinebiologist21

Since herefishy seems to be a Clean King of tanks, lol- I bought a used 30 gallon now cycling but it has like a beige grime on the lid that annoys the hell out of me.
Any idea how to get rid of that?

herefishy

I would imagine that that beige build up is lime and iron deposits from hard water. Try using straight vinegar as a start. I bought a bunch of tank from an lfs that went out of business years ago. I poured vinegar on rags and wrapped the deposits as best I could. Slow process though. You may also want to try using a metal scraper if it's really bad to get rid of as much as you can before the vinegar.

If that doesn't work there's always the hammer method. lol

marinebiologist21

So I can't just rub vinegar on?
There's a chance the vinegar could get into my tank. D:
I could always try the scraper...

One other question.
I want a new filter, as I have a Whisper 40 that is ancient. How do I transfer filters? My tank is starting to cycle and I want to get a new filter Asap.

bluesteel

thanks herefishy! looks like this weekend is going to be a cleaning one! :D

beetlebz

put the new filter on the tank and run it side by side with the old filter for several weeks, imho :)