Lets Bust A Myth

[moz71]

I use just RO water and never even felt need for anything else. Becomes squeaky clean!

 

[Sean Clark]

A wet cloth and a squeegee works way better than Windex, and even better, a Norwex cloth. The squeegee is collecting dust now.

Sorry... but it says "unbeatable" right on the bottle. Glad that is settled.

 

[rtparty]

But why? Seriously, why would you use that kind of glass cleaner around your tank for any reason?

Get a little RO water and a towel. Done.

 

[attiland]

Sorry... but it says "unbeatable" right on the bottle. Glad that is settled.

The advertising agency said so so it is for sure true. :/

 

[NanoSteam]

you guys are overthinking this ;Hilarious

 

[Dom]

I think it is fine if you spray the cleaner on a towel or something away from the tank, and then use the towel, but I would be worried about overspray, so no need to take a risk.

Yes, but what harm could come from some mist getting into the tank when you take into consideration ratio of water volume to the amount of spray?

 

[Dom]

I've done the same. Spray away from the tank in a different room then wipe the glass clean.

This seems soooo excessively cautious. Spraying on the towel is one thing, but in another room??

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

For as far back as I can remember, I've always heard that you shouldn't use Windex or other glass cleaners directly on the tank glass. I've always ignored this advice and have been using glass cleaners on all of my tanks for years without detriment.

Glass is a non-porous material. If it weren't, then it wouldn't hold water. So if glass can prevent water from coming out of the tank, why should we be concerned with glass cleaner getting in?

I understand that there is the possibility of getting spray in through the top of the tank or perhaps even the sump. But the mist that might get into the tank is so small, even into a 10 gallon tank, it would be so diluted that it would be rendered harmless.

Is it harmful to us glass cleaner directly on the tank glass?

Let's discuss.

The answer, at least in terms of ammonia, is correct, but the reason isn't.

It's overspray one worries about, not penetration of the glass.

Windex has lots of stuff, not just ammonia. Surfactants and such. Those might cause skimmer issues.

Old windex was 5% ammonia. It's different today, but not sure what level exactly.

At 5% ammonia, if you got 1 cup (237 mL) directly into a tank, the addition is 0.05 x 236 = 12 grams. In 100 gallons (378 L), that amounts to 12,000 mg/378 l = 32 mg/l. Way too much!

What about 1 mL overspray?

That's 0.05 g ammonia = 50 mg ammonia in 378 L, = 0.13 ppm.

Borderline but OK.

So if you get less than 1 ml overspray into a 100 galllon tank you will be OK.

If you got several ml of overspray, you may not be.

Of course, that ignores the surfactants in it.

 

[Dom]

Wait, there's a concern of windex getting through the glass? I always thought it's just about not getting windex in the water via the top.

Right. What harm is there in spraying it right on the glass?

 

[Woodyman]

Doesn't give amounts but here is current ingredient list.

 

[Hairyteeth]

I don’t know why you’d even wanna go there with windex?….are you not able to get your glass to where you want it to be, never had a problem with just towels?

 

[xcountryx]

This seems soooo excessively cautious. Spraying on the towel is one thing, but in another room??

It's not like the other room is a mile away!

 

[Soren]

I've got a co-worker who has had at least one saltwater tank over the last 10+ years who claims he had a complete tank wipeout several years back when his wife cleaned the front glass with Windex as a favor for a clearer view into the tank.

I have no idea how much could have gotten into the tank or if there were any other possible culprits for the wipeout, but my co-worker certainly attributes it to the Windex!

 

[Midrats]

I'm going to start calling overly blue tanks Liquitint tanks now.

 

[Dom]

I don’t know why you’d even wanna go there with windex?….are you not able to get your glass to where you want it to be, never had a problem with just towels?

But we're talking about the pitfalls of using glass cleaner directly on the glass. Yes, there are many alternatives. But my goal is a definitive "yes" or "no" where applying glass cleaner directly to glass is concerned.

 

[Woodyman]

Expanded view:

 

[Dom]

I've got a co-worker who has had at least one saltwater tank over the last 10+ years who claims he had a complete tank wipeout several years back when his wife cleaned the front glass with Windex as a favor for a clearer view into the tank.

I have no idea how much could have gotten into the tank or if there were any other possible culprits for the wipeout, but my co-worker certainly attributes it to the Windex!

Yes... I'm inclined to think that there was something else.

 

[attiland]

Doesn't give amounts but here is current ingredient list.

All good stuff hey?

 

[Sean Clark]

I wonder if we can get some Liquitint Sky Blue LEDs in the next year's light fixture revisions. Seams like a nice feature.

 

[FiddlersReef]

Buy a dog that likes to lick the glass while watching the fish.
Done.

(Don't spray windex on the dog.)