How can I clean the inside of my glass without removing my fish

MrFBiscuit · 03/19/2013, 04:02 PM

I have recently acquired a second hand fish tank which i cleaned before setting up and the glass looked clean and was no sign of algae.

I now have a few fish cycling my tank, but the glass seems really foggy. I have tried to scrapping the inside of the tank with a razor blade but this hasn't helped.

Can anybody suggest another way to clean the inside of my tank without removing my fish!

julie180 · 03/19/2013, 04:24 PM

Cycling with fish is very old school and not very nice to the fish.

As for your glass, its most likely etched, which means that the surface of the glass is damaged and there is nothing that can be done about it.

Wolverine · 03/19/2013, 06:38 PM

It's also possible that the water itself is cloudy.

As an aside, there are much better/cheaper/safer/more humane/easier ways to cycle the tank than using fish. I like to just feed the tank as if there are fish in there. Some people just a piece of shrimp in from the grocery store.

shifty51008 · 03/19/2013, 07:48 PM

My guess is the water is what is dirty. Is it a green or whitish color? Carbon should help, if it is green i had good luck with a uv light.

worm5406 · 03/19/2013, 09:01 PM

How about a picture so we can see what you see.

Spyderturbo007 · 03/20/2013, 06:10 AM

I don't recommend cycling with fish. The ammonia burns their gills and can lead to death. Not humane in my book.

sleepydoc · 03/20/2013, 10:27 AM

I'm sure he/she wasn't aware of other ways of cycling the tank. Now that there are fish in it, they're basically stuck there until it's cycled unless he has a friend that can take them.

To the OP - watch your ammonia and do water changes or use prime/amquel to keep it down while your tank cycles. This may slow the cycling process, but as others have suggested, it's the humane thing for your fish. You can also use a bacteria supplement like Dr. Tim's - no personal experience, but it may help.

To the original question, what do you have in the tank? How long has it been running? Was the glass cloudy as soon as you put water in it or did it become cloudy? If the glass is etched, there's nothing that can fix it. If it's the water, then it's a different problem. Everything else that might grow on your glass at this stage of the game should come off fairly easily.

GroktheCube · 03/20/2013, 12:18 PM

It's too bad that most LFSes still push "cheap fish" on people to use for cycling.

03/19/2013, 04:02 PM	#1
MrFBiscuit Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 1	How can I clean the inside of my glass without removing my fish I have recently acquired a second hand fish tank which i cleaned before setting up and the glass looked clean and was no sign of algae. I now have a few fish cycling my tank, but the glass seems really foggy. I have tried to scrapping the inside of the tank with a razor blade but this hasn't helped. Can anybody suggest another way to clean the inside of my tank without removing my fish!

03/19/2013, 06:38 PM	#3
Wolverine RC Mod Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: West Bloomfield, MI Posts: 17,732	It's also possible that the water itself is cloudy. As an aside, there are much better/cheaper/safer/more humane/easier ways to cycle the tank than using fish. I like to just feed the tank as if there are fish in there. Some people just a piece of shrimp in from the grocery store. __________________ Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -Douglas Adams Current Tank Info: 14g, 29g nano reefs

03/19/2013, 07:48 PM	#4
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	My guess is the water is what is dirty. Is it a green or whitish color? Carbon should help, if it is green i had good luck with a uv light. __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

03/19/2013, 09:01 PM	#5
worm5406 Not afriad to admit wrong Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: South of WashDC in Maryland Posts: 7,774	How about a picture so we can see what you see. __________________ Stock:LPS/SPS\|1 hippo\|4 OC Clown\|4 Pepp shrimp\|2 Brittle Star\|3000+ Copepods\|10+ MiniBrittle\|8+ Bristle Worm\|2 Anemone\|100+ mini-feather\|4 boys 14,21,22,22 Current Tank Info: Tank:300g Mixed Reef 300+lb LR\|4" LS\|5x MP40W\|75g fuge\|5x RadionPRO\|RO DB250 skimmer\|Apex

03/20/2013, 10:27 AM	#7
sleepydoc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 3,907	I'm sure he/she wasn't aware of other ways of cycling the tank. Now that there are fish in it, they're basically stuck there until it's cycled unless he has a friend that can take them. To the OP - watch your ammonia and do water changes or use prime/amquel to keep it down while your tank cycles. This may slow the cycling process, but as others have suggested, it's the humane thing for your fish. You can also use a bacteria supplement like Dr. Tim's - no personal experience, but it may help. To the original question, what do you have in the tank? How long has it been running? Was the glass cloudy as soon as you put water in it or did it become cloudy? If the glass is etched, there's nothing that can fix it. If it's the water, then it's a different problem. Everything else that might grow on your glass at this stage of the game should come off fairly easily. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 120 gallon, coast to coast overflow w/beananimal overflow. Waveline DC 10000 II return pump, 40 gal sump, Octopus XS200 skimmer, T5 lighting

03/19/2013, 04:24 PM	#2
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	Cycling with fish is very old school and not very nice to the fish. As for your glass, its most likely etched, which means that the surface of the glass is damaged and there is nothing that can be done about it.

03/20/2013, 06:10 AM	#6
Spyderturbo007 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: PA Posts: 2,564	I don't recommend cycling with fish. The ammonia burns their gills and can lead to death. Not humane in my book.

03/20/2013, 12:18 PM	#8
GroktheCube Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 2,063	It's too bad that most LFSes still push "cheap fish" on people to use for cycling.