Cleaning acrylic

[Jon Fishman]

I know they make acrylic-safe Mag-floats..... but I don’t trust it.

My tank isn’t done being built (at least I don’t think it is) and I would like to keep it as nice as possible for as long as possible....... aside from the best advice I got of “don’t put water in it” what should I clean it with? They sell the white “super” sponges at my local shop...... those or regular (non anti-bacterial) scrub pads are fine?

What if I get tough to remove coraline?

 

[Mike N]

I know they make acrylic-safe Mag-floats..... but I don’t trust it.

My tank isn’t done being built (at least I don’t think it is) and I would like to keep it as nice as possible for as long as possible....... aside from the best advice I got of “don’t put water in it” what should I clean it with? They sell the white “super” sponges at my local shop...... those or regular (non anti-bacterial) scrub pads are fine?

What if I get tough to remove coraline?

I've always used the flipper scraper and I've never had issues with scratches. The plastic blade makes short work of coralline algae and anything else.

 

[Aardvark1134]

This https://truvuaquariums.com/collections/maintenance-products
note the spray is for the outside only...
or this https://seachem.com/algae-pads.php

 

[Jon Fishman]

Thanks guys. Also, that “spray”. I didn’t even think about the outside...... is the ammonia-free aerosol (sprayway or something?) glass cleaner I use for all glass, isn’t ok to use on acrylic????

 

[Aardvark1134]

You can also use any good quality HD TV cleaner on the outside. Just don't spray it in the water. Pretty much anything for cleaning prescription glasses too.

 

[KorD]

To honestly tell you the truth, nothing works better than plastic razor blades. For my outside of my tank, I use a sponge on a drill for cleaning headlights on cars with a plastic wax. Make short work of cleaning a 30 gallon tank from fingerprints and light scratches from my dog's claws if she jumps up to look at the fish.

 

[This guy is Extra Salty]

Brightwell/continum makes an acrylic scraper I trust
(I build acrylic tanks etc)

 

[Aardvark1134]

As long as you pay attention and are careful they don't get scratched up. I have one that is almost 12 years old. It has 1 visible scratch on the side from a 20lb piece holy rock I poked it with while decorating. Other than that there is nothing you can see while water is in it and I could probably buff that out if I wanted to. After having had 2 acrylic tanks for a long time I will never ever go back to glass unless it's like a QT or something tiny.
#1 rule assume all sand could have some magnetic particles in it and keep that mag float away from the sand bed.
#2 rule don't whack it with decorations and rocks
#3 rule don't clean it with glass only items
As long as you do those 3 you will have a nice tank for a lifetime.

 

[lapin]

I have a 5'x5' acrylic tank. I can tell you that the Mighty Magnets for acrylic work great. 2 part, get the floating ones. If you have harder algae like coraline, the algae scrapper net bags they sell work great. They slip over the magnet part that goes inside the tank. They do not scratch your tank that I can see. I have used them on 1 tank for 4 years. Be sure not to pick up any sand while cleaning. For the outside use felt or a new clean micro fiber towel. If you have an issue with static electricity you can use something like Novus Clean and Shine and a new clean microfiber towel

 

[RJinPV]

I have a mag float for acyrillic and it doesn't scratch. I have a flipper too and it does leave small scratches. I discussed this with a Flipper rep and he suggested my acrylic was softer than most. I dunno. It is very difficult to not scratch near the sand bed, no matter what. For that reason I would suggest going with a bare bottom tank.

No matter what you use, be sure to get the coralline algae early when it is small. If you let it get thick it is difficult to remove with a magnet cleaner. You'll need a lot of muscle and a scraper on a stick. The last tip I have is that the Mr Clean magic eraser works very well on the inside (except coralline). One person suggested slicing one into thin pads using a kitchen mandolin and using it on the inside sandwiched between the magnetic cleaners. I did that and it works well. It seems to lightly polish the inside and gets it cleaner than the mag float or flipper. All of this said, I will never get another acrylic tank again for saltwater because of the difficulty in cleaning it without scratches..

 

[laverda]

Never use any glass cleaning chemicals on acrylic. I would not let any sort of spray cleaner near my aquarium. You don’t need the mist contaminating the water. Get proper cleaners for acrylic.
Be extra careful around to sand bed so as not to pick up any grains of sand in what ever you use. If you clean the acrylic frequently enough coralline will not have a chance to get established. Should you scratch your tank the scratches can be removed with 2000 grit wet dry paper with out draining your tank.