Acrylic tank algae cleaning

[swilson08]

Good afternoon

Just curious what tools are you guys using to clean your acrylic tanks from algae. This will be for a freshwater tank. I've heard mixed reviews about the magnetic ones that they may scratch the tank. What other scrapers and tools do you recommend.

 

[All_talk]

I've never had much luck with mag cleaners on my fresh water tanks, acrylic or glass, the algae seems to bond much stronger than the saltwater types. I typically resort to hand scrubbing with a appropriate sponge/pad. I feel the ability to use a razor blade on a glass tank is a huge advantage, and I doubt I will buy another acrylic.

 

[FSP]

I don't care much for magnets either

A piece of teflon, poly or other softer-than-acrylic plastic with a good edge works well if your tank is built sturdy enough. Like using an old credit card (I don't entirely trust these) but bigger. If there's a bit of bow to your tank, you'll probably have to use a scrubber of some sort.

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

Good afternoon

Just curious what tools are you guys using to clean your acrylic tanks from algae. This will be for a freshwater tank. I've heard mixed reviews about the magnetic ones that they may scratch the tank. What other scrapers and tools do you recommend.

Did you find anything that works well? I have a flipper brand mag scraper, a plastic scraper tool from Petco, and a sponge type scraper from Petco and it is nearly impossible to get the acrylic clean. I am ready to swap tanks out just because I am so tired of not being able to clean even the front face.

 

[crusso1993]

My friend @Lowell Lemon or perhaps @Tenecor Aquariums may be able to come to the rescue.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Old credit cards, Kent has an acrylic blade, cleaning pads from Pentar Aquatics, and I hear magic eraser without any cleaner works well.

 

[BamaCoastPyrat]

Old credit cards, Kent has an acrylic blade, cleaning pads from Pentar Aquatics, and I hear magic eraser without any cleaner works well.

Thanks Lowell, I'll try those out!

 

[swilson08]

The flipper scraper which is basically credit cards and the original magic eraser. I got a 100 off brand off Amazon that work well.

 

[testuser]

The flipper scraper which is basically credit cards and the original magic eraser. I got a 100 off brand off Amazon that work well.

I've seen people complain for just about every material that their acrylic tank gets scraped. I imagine it's due to sandy grains getting lodged in, and then they drag it around. Curious though, have you or anyone else in this thread tried rubber or silicone pads to scrape off the algae? Maybe it wouldn't work as well, but significantly lower general risk of scratching.