Cleaning hard water deposits off of glass

[drawstringbag]

The hard water deposits on my Asian Forest Scorpion’s and Mourning Gecko glass enclosures have gotten bad. I know of using a vinegar and water mixture, but are there any strategies for cleaning that can be used without taking out the animals or decor/substrate? Thanks in advance

 

[viper69]

I've always removed animals of any sort while cleaning for their safety. Vinegar, aka acetic acid, is particularly strong in scent. Why expose animals to that?

 

[kingshockey]

just use a razor blade

 

[SpookySpooder]

just use a razor blade

Microscratches on glass... coming from Aquaria, this made me cringe in pain

No offense to you good sir.

I've seen this advice offered before and oh boy... way to ruin a tank (I've done it myself on cheaper tanks that's why I cringe)

Use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with hot water. No chemicals needed.

 

[kingshockey]

Microscratches on glass... coming from Aquaria, this made me cringe in pain

No offense to you good sir.

I've seen this advice offered before and oh boy... way to ruin a tank (I've done it myself on cheaper tanks that's why I cringe)

Use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with hot water. No chemicals needed.

funny i've never seen micro scratches on any of the glass tanks i did that with acryllic tanks yes the mr. clean eraser leaves powder/dust from the eraser.

 

[The Snark]

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, AKA formaldehyde melamine sodium bisulfite copolymer, commonly known, encountered as rigid board foam insulation, is an abrasive. It also wears down quickly leaving a powdery residue that while not espacially toxic, isn't desirable in yours or your animal's living space.
However, it is supposed to be safe for glass but buyer beware. Hard water stains hardness: calcium, 1.75 mohs, magnesium, 2.5 mohs. Silicone glass, 6.5 mohs.

PS IMHO, Mr. C Power Eraser is one of the huge rip offs. Fancy package containing .00001 cent worth of product. At a refrigeration manufacturing plant I worked at they threw away hundreds of cubic feet of that foam every year. Excesses cut off from the mold processing.
The expanding foam you buy in a squirt can is usually the same stuff.

 

[Dry Desert]

The hard water deposits on my Asian Forest Scorpion’s and Mourning Gecko glass enclosures have gotten bad. I know of using a vinegar and water mixture, but are there any strategies for cleaning that can be used without taking out the animals or decor/substrate? Thanks in advance

You could try one of those alge cleaner sponges that fish keepers use.

Use the sponge soaked in Very hot water, after several attempts it should gradually dissolve the limescale.

In future if you only need small amounts of water for spraying etc.
Boil some water in a large container, let the water cool completely then with a very fine mesh strainer, like a tea strainer, or fish net strainer, skim off the grey surface water, that will be the dissolved calcium from the hard water.

After skimming the calcium off, you're good to go.

 

[Veno Manus]

Brillow pads or magic erase.

 

[viper69]

Microscratches on glass... coming from Aquaria, this made me cringe in pain

No offense to you good sir.

I've seen this advice offered before and oh boy... way to ruin a tank (I've done it myself on cheaper tanks that's why I cringe)

Use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser with hot water. No chemicals needed.

Didn't have this issue when I kept small tanks. SO the Mr Clean Magic Eraser will work?? What about the powder/dust below?

funny i've never seen micro scratches on any of the glass tanks i did that with acryllic tanks yes the mr. clean eraser leaves powder/dust from the eraser.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I've seen many a scratched tank from just using hard plastic algae scrapers. Makes no sense to me that a razor wouldn't leave a scratch. I've personally scratched both acrylic and glass with plastic and a razor, but I'm willing to admit I was a bit overzealous with the water stains.

I've used the brand name erasers and the cheap dollar store ones for nearly a decade now and the only time they break down is when you overuse them or are too rough with them. (IE compress too hard or scrub too hard) They're not as durable as sponges are, like mentioned above they're an abrasive foam.

I rinse them in warm water out of the box because I do notice production residue sometimes, but I have never seen any residue come off inside my fish tanks and I'm OCD about that kinda thing. I have a sump that has filter socks and mesh that condense down to microns, and have not collected any white dust from this product.

I press the eraser very lightly against the glass and wipe very gently in a circular pattern, it cleans water stains and algae off the glass without having to apply much pressure at all. Essentially you are lightly sanding it off, not sponging it off. I believe where people are noticing pieces tear off are because they're treating it like a ScrubDaddy.

As soon as they get dirty, compressed, or tear, I toss them out. They might break down if you continue to use the same one repeatedly. This isn't a reusable sponge from what I've experienced. Though I have reused the same one several times without issue.

My experiences are anecdotal, but I have $300+ ADA high clarity glass tanks, so I don't risk taking razors and hard objects to it. Again, I have ruined cheaper green glass tanks like that.

And if it leaves dust on a scorpion tank you can always just wipe that away with a microfiber cloth.

I'll do some tests with them to see if I can get them to degrade into a powder.

Also Dry Desert mentioned this, but hot water is half the battle, algae sponges also work great if you're not keen on disposable erasers that continually add to upkeep cost.

 

[The Snark]

let the water cool completely then with a very fine mesh strainer, like a tea strainer, or fish net strainer,

SO the Mr Clean Magic Eraser will work?? What about the powder/dust below?

The refrigeration plant underwent an OSHA inspection, that dust all over the floor. They didn't seem concerned so, guessing, it's not a significant hazard, at least to humans in an industrial environment.

I have a sump that has filter socks and mesh that condense down to microns, and have not collected any white dust from this product.

Go for a ceramic filter which is typically .5 micron. BUT this is mostly useless. The deposits are primarily from dissolved minerals that precipitate on surfaces which are essentially non particulate in solution form and most easily removed through catalytic action.