Is it worth it to try to clean an old aquarium?

[AAO]

Hello! My Rose Hair Tarantula is getting too big for her enclosure and I would like to rehouse her. I have an old freshwater aquarium, but this aquarium was used as a freshwater biotope, so it is quite dirty and I worry about pathogens. Is it worth it to try and clean it up? Or is it not worth the risk?

 

[Tentacle Toast]

You'd be able to "sterilize" it for your intent, but I'm envisioning unsightly waterline rings, & I've yet to see anyone successfully remove those, or the cloudiness of the glass in general. A 1:10 ratio of bleach & water would kill just about any pathogen remaining. Rinse THOROUGHLY with HOT water, & let it dry completely...

....& fill that tank with substrate if you're planning on putting a terrestrial in there...

 

[AAO]

Yes there will definitely be water stains ^^’ I’m not too worried about aesthetics, though, especially since the water-level was only about a third of the way up the glass (so there will be substrate up past the water stains) I will take all of that into consideration though! I mostly just don’t want to junk a massive glass tank for environmental reasons, so if I can safely avoid the waste I’ll probably take that route. Thank’s for the cleaning tips as well!

 

[CanebrakeRattlesnake]

I recently cleaned up an old 75gal that was full of sand, water stains, etc. and it turned out really good! If you have the time I definitely suggest you at least give it a try. The only materials I used were vinegar & lemon juice to remove water stains along with a razorblade, water, and some random scrubbers and microfiber cloths to wash the glass.

Before



After

 

[AAO]

I recently cleaned up an old 75gal that was full of sand, water stains, etc. and it turned out really good! If you have the time I definitely suggest you at least give it a try. The only materials I used were vinegar & lemon juice to remove water stains along with a razorblade, water, and some random scrubbers and microfiber cloths to wash the glass.

Is the vinegar/lemon juice safe for inverts after being thoroughly rinsed? I’m always worried about residue ><

 

[CanebrakeRattlesnake]

Is the vinegar/lemon juice safe for inverts after being thoroughly rinsed? I’m always worried about residue ><

I would assume so, as long as you rinse it and let it dry out beforehand! I'm going to turn the tank into a massive native paludarium so it'll be full of different types of inverts.

 

[AAO]

I would assume so, as long as you rinse it and let it dry out beforehand! I'm going to turn the tank into a massive native paludarium so it'll be full of different types of inverts.

I see! I am overly paranoid haha ^^ Thank you! Sounds like an amazing project! Best of luck!

 

[viper69]

Yes

 

[Tentacle Toast]

I recently cleaned up an old 75gal that was full of sand, water stains, etc. and it turned out really good! If you have the time I definitely suggest you at least give it a try. The only materials I used were vinegar & lemon juice to remove water stains along with a razorblade, water, and some random scrubbers and microfiber cloths to wash the glass.

Before

View attachment 422003

After

View attachment 422004

WOW

 

[Tarantuland]

I think it would be worth it. You can probably also use hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach

 

[The Snark]

Step 1. Completely empty. Lots of work. Give it a good cleaning with laundry detergent and scrubbing.
Step 2. Get a concentrate solution of acetic acid, around 10% to 20%. Use gloves and protection. Warm the acid and scrub using a plastic scrubber that won't craze the glass. This will remove all scale - mineral depostis.
Step 3. Usually found at the paint stores and called mold killer. A 1-2% solution of Benzalkonium Chloride in the tank filled to the top. Let stand 72 hours. Use respirator as the BKC plays hell with sinuses and throat. This will completely sterilize the tank.
Step 4. Flood with clear water and clean with dishwashing detergent. Rinse as you would your dishes.
Done. Clear, clean and sterile.

Precaution. Don't run BKC into a septic tank as it can stop the bacterial decomposition in the tank.. Best disposal method is to pour the solution onto bare dirt and allow it to decompose. Don't let it get anywhere near fish. DEADLY for all marine life!

 

[viper69]

Step 1. Completely empty. Lots of work. Give it a good cleaning with laundry detergent and scrubbing.
Step 2. Get a concentrate solution of acetic acid, around 10% to 20%. Use gloves and protection. Warm the acid and scrub using a plastic scrubber that won't craze the glass. This will remove all scale - mineral depostis.
Step 3. Usually found at the paint stores and called mold killer. A 1-2% solution of Benzalkonium Chloride in the tank filled to the top. Let stand 72 hours. Use respirator as the BKC plays hell with sinuses and throat. This will completely sterilize the tank.
Step 4. Flood with clear water and clean with dishwashing detergent. Rinse as you would your dishes.
Done. Clear, clean and sterile.

Precaution. Don't run BKC into a septic tank as it can stop the bacterial decomposition in the tank.. Best disposal method is to pour the solution onto bare dirt and allow it to decompose. Don't let it get anywhere near fish. DEADLY for all marine life!

Why are you quoting me??

 

[The Snark]

Why are you quoting me??

Just emphasis. Removed.

 

[viper69]

Just emphasis. Removed.

lost me, why are you emphasizing something to me? I did not ask the question. Shouldn't you do that w/the poster??

 

[The Snark]

lost me, why are you emphasizing something to me? I did not ask the question. Shouldn't you do that w/the poster??

The entire point of the thread is best replied to succinctly in one word which you posted. So the entire thread needs only consist of the topic, your reply, and the standard laboratory methodology I posted. Except they usually use a commercial surfactant instead of laundry detergent.

 

[Dorifto]

@viper69

Vitro scraper (razorblade), 10 minute job.


You can remove them (biggest part) using warm acetic acid (vinegar). Then rinse it generously.

Using the scraper or the razorblade, rinsing it's not necessary. Give it a pass with the vacuum after scrapping all the enclosure and voila.

View attachment VID-20210715-WA0011.mp4

 

[viper69]

@viper69

Vitro scraper (razorblade), 10 minute job.


You can remove them (biggest part) using warm acetic acid (vinegar). Then rinse it generously.

Using the scraper or the razorblade, rinsing it's not necessary. Give it a pass with the vacuum after scrapping all the enclosure and voila.

View attachment 422056

why are you quoting me?? I didn’t ask the question.
I don’t have a fish tank!

 

[Dorifto]

why are you quoting me?? I didn’t ask the question.
I don’t have a fish tank!

Because it's TROLLING TIME!!!

 

[viper69]

Because it's TROLLING TIME!!!

Nah

 

[JonnyTorch]

That's a decent sized aquarium. Just clean it out. If its been dry for a while most of the living organisms are dead from the last use of it. Plus, it was freshwater. If it was saltwater, then it would be a little more risky than you're thinking. Just clean it dawg. Plus it's got it's own stand for it already.