removing mineral stains from glass

miguel camacho!

miguel camacho!

New member
ok, i have a question that im sure many people have thought about. sure, i know how to prevent mineral buildup on glass from a new cage, but how can you remove the mineral marks from an older tank?

i recently bought a 75 gal from craigslist, not realizing at first how bad the mineral ring was. now i want to get rid of it, and i'd like to know if there are any good methods to do so. ill even consider chemicals, as this tank is going to go through a lengthy restoration, and i am going to leave it several days to soak in water.

or is brute force thru scraping my only hope? help me!
 
J

jabberwock486

New member
CLR, beach and rubbing alcohol are your friends. for mineral stains i find CLR (lime-away) works really well. if just calcite from the hard water then vinegar works great too, although not as well as the CLR. these products are fine as long as your rinse well. given the size of the tank i would really say just use the CLR. i have gotten horrible encrusted tanks to look new with this stuff.

just make sure you rinse well. no it does not leave residue and if it does it is far below harmful concentrations. i know fish and dart frog people who do this too. i have used this method for years and got it from a breeder among others. also if it is safe for amphibians and fish then reptiles should be fine. although i would NOT use this to treat decorations. nor would i treat pumps or plastic with it. those things may absorb some of the harmful chemicals. i only use the alcohol and or vinegar for those jobs.


i should also add you really should bleach the tank. it has been used and could possibly contain bacteria spores. ammonia, alcohol and bleach are about the only things that can kill these things. a good 10% bleach to 90% water is good for this, although a bit strong it gets the job done.
 
Last edited:
gbhil

gbhil

New member
Cut a lemon or orange in half, and use it to scrub the mineral deposits with. Quickly rinse before the 'juice' has a chance to dry.
 
miguel camacho!

miguel camacho!

New member
thanks guys. ive done razor blades on smaller tanks, but since there is even mineral buildup on the plastic rim, im gonna go with the CLR. i actually bought some and started using it on the tank before i made this thread, and im just letting it sit on the heavily affected areas for now.

necer heard of the citrus route, but i might test that tomorrow!

and thanks for the heads up on the bacteria. i hadnt ever really given that much thought. ill bleach it down once i get the mineral stains out.

once again guys, thanks a lot!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top