Sparhawkleo Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 Hey guys so i have had an old 4ft bow front tank i got of my little bros mother in law (mouthful haha) but it was used as a marine tank i think there is alot of either salt or calcium. so i was just going to use a gernie (high pressure hose) to wash it off or thinking of using CLR. i am getting a cabinet made up and a hood so wont be used for a while. just looking for tips or anything that could help me will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 Razor blade (watch silicone lines!) or methylated spirits & a good glass cloth or microfibre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) i am posting photos if that would help ?? Edited July 24, 2013 by Sparhawkleo added photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 there we go photos should of worked hopefully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 There's no easy way I know of that won't mess with your silicone. That's gonna require a lot of elbow grease I think (sorry if you were lookin for an easy way). Remove most of it with a razor blade, wet the surface whilst blading & keep the blade edge flush to the glass otherwise you'll scratch it. Then tape off silicone lines & metho scrub it. You could tape off the silicone lines & metho it first, might soften the mineral buildup, then blade it, then metho again, good rinse then let dry. Once dry give one more rinse to remove any metho residuals left behind after evaporation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 I only suggest to tape off silicone lines as I don't know the effects of metho on silicone, never experimented to see what would happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 yeah I was kinda hoping at an easy solution but ijnthe end it was a free tank I rescued it of her she was only storing spa chemicals in the rotting cabinet underneath it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 would a window cleaner razor blade be OK to use like the ones sold at woolies ?? and any reason not to use CLR just wondering why has no one has mentioned not to use it specifically ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shon982 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 try white vinegar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 Not sure of the chemical composition of clr is all. Some certain chemicals are really hard to get rid of, like oil based cleaners etc. Then any fish that go in have to deal with residual chems. Most of the methylated spirits evaporates & then the last rinse gets rid of any tiny residuals as it doesn't bond with surfaces, whereas if you used mineral turps you'd spend days trying to get it out of the tank as it clings to surfaces. You could email the makers of clr & ask them, they may tell you bout chemical composition, possibility of residuals not being able to be removed etc. White vinegar is a good way to go, especially fumes wise, you get a lil high metho cleaning a large tank I'm sure. The vinegar just doesn't quite have as much oomph IME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 I use the straight blades from bunnings, either Stanley or Trojan (super sharp & fairly cheap) but any sharp, dead straight razor blade will work. Is it a bow front? I can't see the bend in the pics on my phone. You will be able to blade any direction on the back & sides but if its a curved front piece of glass then go steady on it & keep the blade flush, easy to dig in a corner of the blade if you veer from 90degrees against the curve... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 Citric acid should make it like new with no scrubbing. You'll find 75g jars in the baking section of the supermarket. Dissolve 75g in 500ml water, put in a pump pack and spray on. You might have to do it a few times and you might need a few jars of acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HannibalsMum Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 we use recently used CLR to clean our jug, used a very small amount an rinced VERY well.. its just the slicone that mat be the problem as it could adsorb the chemical. personly i wouldnt use harsh chemicals... maybe use a salt paste?? (like what you would use to scrub burnt pot back in the days?? lol ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99AWD Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 This thread couldn't come at a better time!! That's certainly some buildup [MENTION=6175]Sparhawkleo[/MENTION]. I'm interested to see which theory works best for you and the clean tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I will post pics as I go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Its a lot of work in that tank. For the price of a new 1 I would scrap it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 well all clean now and not that much effort will put up photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Well done, mineral residue can't stand up to a bit of elbow grease Which method did ya use? I'm interested in the citric acid method now, gonna have to find out if that works. I know vinegar's effects are pretty good, same with metho, great but not instant but never even thought of citric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidwife Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 far out looking at those pics i should loan you my grinder to grind it off.......... ha ha that is some build up mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I actually used a gernie and a razor blade and some white vinegar so no real effort which is what I was hoping and only took about 20-30 mins I can't upload from my phone so will do it when I get back from dinner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 so here are some pics [MENTION=9562]t.p[/MENTION] and [MENTION=9537]Outlaw[/MENTION] i dont want to think what you scrap if you would of done it to this tank. how the tank started after a quick wet down and trying a bit with white vinegar close of up of the scrub with white vinegar having fun with the gernie hahah filling up the tank to check if i wrecked the silicone with the razor blade yay filled up and now going to wait over night to see if it leaks but i dont think it will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Oh yeah!!! That's the shiznit mate! Hope there's no leaks but if there are... no dramas, you've already got the razor blades to cut out the old silicone , then if you're not confident with your finger work (lol), tape off straight lines round the edges of the tank with a 5-10mm gap between edge of tape & meeting point of the glass, do this for all joins, then run a bead of sili, use your finger to push it in, peel off the tape & bam, straight sili edges & a resealed tank for an $8-$12 tube of silicone, a razor blade & some tape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparhawkleo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 yeah i have resealed a 4 ft tank and a 3ft tanks before so fingers crossed and i still have got a few tubes of it left but i am glad this is at my parents and dad has every single tool and gadget imaginable but the gernie made it so much easier basically did the muscle work for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanoz Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I use stainless steel cheap nasty wool. Make sure you use the non soap type, it doesn't scratch you glass and once done you can use it to clean ya mag wheels on your car lol! Works a treat and costs ya about 50c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Never been game enough to try steel wool, thought it would scratch glass. Thanks Shanoz, will give it a go if I ever get another mineral caked tank. Steel wool & metho or vinegar, that'll knock it off quick I reckon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
