Cleaning glass with windex

Indigoblue12 · 07/24/2014, 09:39 PM

Hi all,

Bought a used dirty tank ... The tank itself is only
8 months old but it's pretty dirty ...
I used a cloth and vinegar and water mixture
To clean the inside and I used glass cleaner on the
Outside ... Needless to say the outside is great
And there is crap still in the inside ..

I don't plan to put water or rock in this tank for another
8 weeks as I'm saving for some good sump equipment ..

Can I use glass cleaner on the inside or not?

ReefKeep66 · 07/24/2014, 10:31 PM

Personally, I wouldnt. You don't know what chemicals are going to linger in there afterwords. Vinegar and cloth method is usually pretty effective with some elbow grease but I know there are some parts which require more. In that case, I would research another, natural (chemical free) method of doing so. To be honest though, I don't think glass cleaner is going to be any more effective.If it's more of an issue of glass clarity I doubt glass cleaner will really help any. If you do decide to go this route, make sure you clean the tank out very very throughly. The outside as well. Glass cleaner is usually a big no no in the fish keeping world. Hope this helps.

SeeCrabRun · 07/24/2014, 10:45 PM

Try straight vinegar and let it sit a little and then a plastic scraper or credit card or soft bristle brush.

billdogg · 07/25/2014, 04:50 AM

As long as you rinse it well afterwards, you can clean it with pretty much anything you want. If it's calcium deposits, vinegar will work best.

alexx2208 · 07/25/2014, 07:15 AM

If you can put it on it's sides, I would do so and fill with vinegar up to the lip, then wait a few hours... Then flip and repeat... It'll slowly break down and become almost a skin instead of baked on the glass

ca1ore · 07/25/2014, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indigoblue12

I used a cloth and vinegar and water mixture
To clean the inside and I used glass cleaner on the
Outside ... Needless to say the outside is great
And there is crap still in the inside .

Calcium buildup is likely on the inside (but not on the outside) and often requires some decent 'soak' time in the vinegar solution. Just fill the tank with tap water, pour in one of those gallon jugs of vinegar, and let it circulate for a few days.

kurt_n · 07/25/2014, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billdogg

As long as you rinse it well afterwards, you can clean it with pretty much anything you want. If it's calcium deposits, vinegar will work best.

Agree with this. I wouldn't use Windex on the inside anyway, as it really isn't going to do anything with the gunk on the inside. Have you tried a razor blade scraper... assuming it's glass? How big of a tank are we talking about?

Razor Blade · 07/25/2014, 09:10 AM

Finally someone mentioned a razor! (i should know lol)

If it's glass a razor does wonders. I know my bathroom mirror had water spots on it, so I used my kent scraper (with razor attachment) and took the calcium deposits right off - I have very hard water here btw.

jda · 07/25/2014, 09:14 AM

Go to home depot of lowes and get some Muratic acid. Act like an adult around it, be careful, don't breathe the fumes and it is a wonderful cleaner.

I usually find a flat surface, lay each one of the sides down fill with water (like the 3/8 of an inch that the lip will hold in), pour in some Muratic and let it go to work for 10-15 minutes. It will mostly rinse off with minimal scraping. Then do the other sides.

HaroldT · 07/26/2014, 07:58 PM

It's ok to use the windex but just be sure to clean all of it off well. Vinegar works great on calcium build up and so does a razor.

ca1ore · 07/27/2014, 08:43 AM

I do not believe Windex will be effective at removing calcium deposits. I'm also leery of using a razor blade for fear of scratching the glass. With an empty tank, just run vinegar water through it for a few days. Vast majority of the calcium buildup will just dissolve away. I did this with a three year 90 setup and it is squeaky clean now.

Jodah · 07/27/2014, 08:46 AM

You'd be surprised how much crud you can get off with just a straight razor razor blade. Then you can use a vinegar to clean any lingering residue.

firemountain · 07/27/2014, 01:19 PM

Vinegar with a razor works great!!

What size is the tank?? How about filling it with commercial grade Peroxide and water, and let it soak for 6 hours. Your local pool store should carry it. I bought some to
dilute and clean my filter socks with.

07/24/2014, 09:39 PM	#1
Indigoblue12 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 118	Cleaning glass with windex Hi all, Bought a used dirty tank ... The tank itself is only 8 months old but it's pretty dirty ... I used a cloth and vinegar and water mixture To clean the inside and I used glass cleaner on the Outside ... Needless to say the outside is great And there is crap still in the inside .. I don't plan to put water or rock in this tank for another 8 weeks as I'm saving for some good sump equipment .. Can I use glass cleaner on the inside or not?

07/24/2014, 10:45 PM	#3
SeeCrabRun Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 552	Try straight vinegar and let it sit a little and then a plastic scraper or credit card or soft bristle brush. __________________ Sara ~ Perpetually tinkering with my tanks.

07/25/2014, 04:50 AM	#4
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	As long as you rinse it well afterwards, you can clean it with pretty much anything you want. If it's calcium deposits, vinegar will work best. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

07/27/2014, 08:43 AM	#11
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	I do not believe Windex will be effective at removing calcium deposits. I'm also leery of using a razor blade for fear of scratching the glass. With an empty tank, just run vinegar water through it for a few days. Vast majority of the calcium buildup will just dissolve away. I did this with a three year 90 setup and it is squeaky clean now. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

07/27/2014, 08:46 AM	#12
Jodah Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: CT Posts: 136	You'd be surprised how much crud you can get off with just a straight razor razor blade. Then you can use a vinegar to clean any lingering residue. __________________ All tanks dry. :-(

07/24/2014, 10:31 PM	#2
ReefKeep66 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: The great state of Georgia Posts: 549	Personally, I wouldnt. You don't know what chemicals are going to linger in there afterwords. Vinegar and cloth method is usually pretty effective with some elbow grease but I know there are some parts which require more. In that case, I would research another, natural (chemical free) method of doing so. To be honest though, I don't think glass cleaner is going to be any more effective.If it's more of an issue of glass clarity I doubt glass cleaner will really help any. If you do decide to go this route, make sure you clean the tank out very very throughly. The outside as well. Glass cleaner is usually a big no no in the fish keeping world. Hope this helps.

07/25/2014, 07:15 AM	#5
alexx2208 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Oviedo, Florida Posts: 254	If you can put it on it's sides, I would do so and fill with vinegar up to the lip, then wait a few hours... Then flip and repeat... It'll slowly break down and become almost a skin instead of baked on the glass

07/25/2014, 09:10 AM	#8
Razor Blade Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 63	Finally someone mentioned a razor! (i should know lol) If it's glass a razor does wonders. I know my bathroom mirror had water spots on it, so I used my kent scraper (with razor attachment) and took the calcium deposits right off - I have very hard water here btw.

07/25/2014, 09:14 AM	#9
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Go to home depot of lowes and get some Muratic acid. Act like an adult around it, be careful, don't breathe the fumes and it is a wonderful cleaner. I usually find a flat surface, lay each one of the sides down fill with water (like the 3/8 of an inch that the lip will hold in), pour in some Muratic and let it go to work for 10-15 minutes. It will mostly rinse off with minimal scraping. Then do the other sides.

07/26/2014, 07:58 PM	#10
HaroldT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Fresno, California Posts: 582	It's ok to use the windex but just be sure to clean all of it off well. Vinegar works great on calcium build up and so does a razor.

07/27/2014, 01:19 PM	#13
firemountain Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Bergen County, NJ Posts: 1,033	Vinegar with a razor works great!! What size is the tank?? How about filling it with commercial grade Peroxide and water, and let it soak for 6 hours. Your local pool store should carry it. I bought some to dilute and clean my filter socks with.