cleaning hard water marks from old used aquariums

[lax]

the almighty razorblade!

[Dominican]

Soak paper towells really well in white vinegar. plaster the inside of the tank with it and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Then (it should still be wet) get a razor blade and scrape it clean. My 150 was a disaster when I got it from the previous owner over two years ago. Came out looking like new. Besides, do you really want traces of muratic acid? Do you want to expose your epoxy to that stuff? Just my two cents...

[flyingfish]

I use the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers found in your local supermarket in the cleaning isle to clean the Hard water deposits off of my showerstalls, and sinks, etc. These things are AMAZING. I've tried CLR and Limeaway, even scraped everything with a little straight edged razor. Nothing works as good as the Mr. Clean product. I'm not sure if there are any chemicals you would need to be concerned about leaving residue, so read the box before you try it.

[flyingfish]

I use the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers found in your local supermarket in the cleaning isle to clean the Hard water deposits off of my showerstalls, and sinks, etc. These things are AMAZING. I've tried CLR and Limeaway, even scraped everything with a little straight edged razor. Nothing works as good as the Mr. Clean product. I'm not sure if there are any chemicals you would need to be concerned about leaving residue, so read the box before you try it.

[GaryP]

Muriatic Acid won't leave a residue. I would suggest caution in using something like CLR though. While it is acid based like Muriatic, it also has some soaps in it that will leave a residue. Soaps are what are called "surface active compounds" and chemically bond with surfaces and have a tendency to leach back into the water for a long time afterwards. Most soaps can cause problems with a fishes gills. That's why we usually only recommend acid based products like vinegar or muriatic acid.

Certain bacteria are involved in the scale deposition procedure. They actually help scale deposits form. So, after you decalcify with acid, its usually necessary to clean it with a tooth brush. The same thing applies to coraline algae. After you remove the calcium, there is an organic residue left over. That's what I do when I clean my pumps. Soak it in acid first, then scrub with a tooth brush, then rinse real well and test the pump.

Pumps will usually scale up first. That's because the pressure change in the impeller cavity catalyzes the scale process. I try to clean my pumps every 3 months or so as part of my routine maintenance schedule. I have noticed a lot better performance from them by doing so. The trick is to remove the impeller from the stainless or ceramic shaft when you clean them. That seems to be the biggest problem. You may have to soak it for a while before are able to remove the shaft. A very small amount of scale on the shaft can cause a lot of problems in preventing the impeller to spin freely. If I need to get the pump back in operation quickly for something like a main return pump, I use muriatic acid. If its something like a maxijet that is not a main pump I will use vinegar. Its also a good idea to have spare impellers so that you can just swap them out and get it back in operation quickly. Then you won't be in a big rush to get it cleaned. Just let it soak for a few days, clean it, and store it until the next time the pump is due to be cleaned. Unfortunately replacement impellers can be hard to find and can cost almost as much as a new pump.