Cleaning the glass

[mucky1957]

I have a 4' x 2' tank which has a lot of rock in it..too much tbh and there are small areas where the gap between the rock and the glass is quite tight. I can't move the rock as there is a lot of it. What can I use to be able to clean the glass that I can't get at with my float glass cleaner. There is a line of 'muck' at the bottom of the tank just abve the surface of the sand. I have tried a small paint scraper and it won't get to all the algae/corraline. What ever you reccomend has to be really thin. I'm in the UK.
Thanks all

 

[Jedi1199]

Move the rock away from the glass.. That is about all you can do. Once the corals start growing they will start crowding the gap even more.

 

[Doctorgori]

Move the rock away from the glass.. That is about all you can do. Once the corals start growing they will start crowding the gap even more.

this can’t be stated enough, matter of fact I pass the magnet through the gaps daily just so the corals never establish …
IMHO you might have to re-aquascape

 

[Waters]

There are things that would probably fit back there (like magic eraser sheets) but it isn't going to be easy. As stated, makes much more sense to just make your life easier and move the rock.

 

[lilzbra]

As a rule of thumb I always leave at least 3-4" of space between any rockwork and the glass so I can clean everything easily. This includes the back of the tank to leave open for flow to go around the rock work. If you don't leave enough space the corals will grow, and you will constantly be bumping them with the cleaner or your arm.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have a 4' x 2' tank which has a lot of rock in it..too much tbh and there are small areas where the gap between the rock and the glass is quite tight. I can't move the rock as there is a lot of it. What can I use to be able to clean the glass that I can't get at with my float glass cleaner. There is a line of 'muck' at the bottom of the tank just abve the surface of the sand. I have tried a small paint scraper and it won't get to all the algae/corraline. What ever you reccomend has to be really thin. I'm in the UK.
Thanks all

You need at least 3-4 inch between the rock and the glass, not just for cleaning but also for water flow.
How are coral going to grow?

 

[nevar71]

I use one of these when my magnet doesn’t work. It telescopes and the razor works well on coralline. Pencil is for scale, not cleaning!

I got this one online at a good price with replacement blades: $15 US.

 

[fish farmer]

I use one of these when my magnet doesn’t work. It telescopes and the razor works well on coralline. Pencil is for scale, not cleaning!

I got this one online at a good price with replacement blades: $15 US.

I have the same for scraping coralline. I have a tight fit in some spots, where a hand held razor scraper won't fit.

 

[Dolphis]

As a rule of thumb I always leave at least 3-4" of space between any rockwork and the glass so I can clean everything easily. This includes the back of the tank to leave open for flow to go around the rock work. If you don't leave enough space the corals will grow, and you will constantly be bumping them with the cleaner or your arm.

This!
I leave enough room so I can pass my magnet cleaner without issue, plus as you mentioned, it allows more flow - better for corals and to wash away any detritus

 

[Dolphis]

I use one of these when my magnet doesn’t work. It telescopes and the razor works well on coralline. Pencil is for scale, not cleaning!

I got this one online at a good price with replacement blades: $15 US.

I use something like this for cleaning my back glass since it’s so wide, I can’t reach the middle area with a magnet scraper.

I want to try the Two Little Fishes version, as it’s suppose to be more rigid, but read the handle is uncomfortable since it’s the same with as the rest of the shaft.
I wonder if the thread size is the same as the one I have and can use my own handle