Concentration for cleaning with vinegar

[Chrysemys]

I have looked at the methods for cleaning a used tank with bleach and vinegar. I have decided to go with the vinegar method because I am concerned about silicon degradation on a used tank and I would like to run the whole system (180g DT and 80g sump, no other hardware sand or rock) for a day to make sure plumbing is thoroughly treated.
I can not find (I am sure it is out there somewhere) a concentration for vinegar to water ratio, a ppm acetic acid concentration or a pH to shoot for.
Any advice?
Am I correct in assuming the acetic acid will not degrade silicon like bleach will?

Tank has been dry for months other than some water trapped in lines and one of the overflow boxes. Purpose of the cleaning procedure is to ensure no fish diseases or unwanted hitchhikers are lurking somewhere.

Will the vinegar method fulfill this purpose?

Thanks

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I have looked at the methods for cleaning a used tank with bleach and vinegar. I have decided to go with the vinegar method because I am concerned about silicon degradation on a used tank and I would like to run the whole system (180g DT and 80g sump, no other hardware sand or rock) for a day to make sure plumbing is thoroughly treated.
I can not find (I am sure it is out there somewhere) a concentration for vinegar to water ratio, a ppm acetic acid concentration or a pH to shoot for.
Any advice?
Am I correct in assuming the acetic acid will not degrade silicon like bleach will?

Tank has been dry for months other than some water trapped in lines and one of the overflow boxes. Purpose of the cleaning procedure is to ensure no fish diseases or unwanted hitchhikers are lurking somewhere.

Will the vinegar method fulfill this purpose?

Thanks

1 part vinegar to 3 parts h2o

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’d just use strait vinegar in a spray bottle. Let it soak , reapply and scrape. Diluted it’ll weaken the acid.

Same with peroxide. Although I don’t really see the need for peroxide unless there is a lot of organics that need to be oxidized to break em up.

 

[Chrysemys]

Thanks for the replies. I will clarify my question somewhat. I have removed all of the organic material from the tank in the areas I can reach. It is pretty spotless at this point. I currently have it filled with water for leak testing. The purpose for the vinegar solution would be to elimate any fish pathogens or hitchhikers hiding in the nooks and crannies I can not access. (Inside plumbing, channels inside mega-overflow, etc.) The plan was to add the vinegar to the water and circulate the system for a day. I will need to alter my plan if a 1:3 ratio is needed. I would run all the local stores out of vinegar supply.

 

[jda]

If you have a lot of volume to do, then Muratic Acid might be better. It can be dangerous if you are a moron, but if you can handle kalk and other noxious stuff, then it is OK. You can get it at Lowes, Home Depot or the like. There are calculators online about how much to use.

Acid at weak concentrations will not be as good at killing pathogens as bleach. In all honesty, a good/solid drying out is probably enough to kill all of the organic pathogens.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Everything is dead in that tank.

Vinegar at that dilution won’t do anything. IMO.

 

[Livinlocal]

Everything is dead. If it sat for months and is now full of tap water, everything is dead.

 

[Chrysemys]

Awesome! That makes my life easier and even closer to getting this beast up and running. Thanks for the advice.